Word
acute
Meanings
Very severe or intense, often happening suddenly and lasting a short time.
Having a sharp ability to notice and understand things quickly and accurately.
Extremely serious or urgent, especially about a lack of something needed.
Definition
Acute describes something very severe or intense, especially a problem or a feeling, often happening suddenly.
Acute is used to describe something that is sharp, severe, or intense, often over a short period of time. It commonly describes problems such as pain, illness, stress, or shortages when they become serious quickly. It can also describe a person’s ability to notice details and understand situations clearly.
Examples
- After the storm, the region faced an acute shortage of clean drinking water.
- I felt an acute sense of embarrassment when I realized I had interrupted her presentation.
- She has an acute awareness of how small changes in tone can shift a negotiation.
- They reported acute pain after the hike, so they cut the trip short and rested.
- You need an acute eye for detail to spot the inconsistencies in this dataset.
Common mistake
Learners often confuse acute with chronic, using acute for long-lasting problems instead of sudden or short-term severe ones.
More at C1 level
- ubiquitous Present, appearing, or found everywhere at the same time.
- xenophobia Xenophobia is a strong dislike or fear of people from other countries or cultures.
- genocide Genocide is the deliberate killing of a large number of people from a particular group in order to …
- conundrum A conundrum is a confusing and difficult problem to solve.
- pretentious Trying to seem more important, intelligent, or cultured than you really are.
More adjectives
- agnostic An agnostic is someone who does not claim to know whether God exists.
- pragmatic Pragmatic means focused on practical results rather than ideals or theories.
- ubiquitous Present, appearing, or found everywhere at the same time.
- cynical Cynical describes believing that people are mainly motivated by self-interest and not sincere.
- apathetic Apathetic means showing little or no interest, concern, or enthusiasm.