Background for acute

acute

/əˈkjuːt/ /əˈkjut/

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noun

A person who has the acute form of a disorder, such as schizophrenia.

Examples :

"The doctor diagnosed Sarah with an acute case of schizophrenia. "

person medicine

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noun

An accent or tone higher than others.

Examples :

"The singer's acute was very high, making her notes easy to distinguish. "

language linguistics music phonetics sound

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noun

An acute accent (´).

Examples :

"The word ‘cafe’ often has an acute over the ‘e’."

grammar linguistics word language

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verb

To give an acute sound to.

Examples :

"He acutes his rising inflection too much."

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verb

To make acute; to sharpen, to whet.

Examples :

"The chef needed to acute his knife before preparing the vegetables. "

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adjective

Brief, quick, short.

Examples :

"It was an acute event."

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adjective

High or shrill.

Examples :

"an acute accent or tone"

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adjective

Intense, sensitive, sharp.

Examples :

"She had an acute sense of honour. Eagles have very acute vision."

sensation medicine mind

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adjective

Examples :

"His need for medical attention was acute."

medicine condition

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adjective

With the sides meeting directly to form an acute angle (at an apex or base).

Examples :

"The architect designed a building with an acute triangular roof. "

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adjective

Of an angle: less than 90 degrees.

Examples :

"The teacher pointed out the acute angle."

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adjective

Of a triangle: having all three interior angles measuring less than 90 degrees.

Examples :

"an acute triangle"

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adjective

Of an accent or tone: generally higher than others.

Examples :

"My sister's voice had an acute tone when she told me about the bad grade she got on the history test. "

language linguistics phonetics sound

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adjective

Of an abnormal condition of recent or sudden onset, in contrast to delayed onset; this sense does not imply severity, unlike the common usage.

Examples :

"He dropped dead of an acute illness."

medicine condition

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adjective

Of a short-lived condition, in contrast to a chronic condition; this sense also does not imply severity.

Examples :

"The acute symptoms resolved promptly."

medicine condition

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adjective

After a letter of the alphabet: having an acute accent.

Examples :

"The last letter of ‘café’ is ‘e’ acute."

language linguistics writing grammar phonetics