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Synonym Chooser

How does the adjective acute contrast with its synonyms?

The words keen and sharp are common synonyms of acute. While all three words mean "having or showing alert competence and clear understanding," acute implies a power to penetrate and may suggest subtlety and sharpness of discrimination.

an acute sense of style

In what contexts can keen take the place of acute?

The synonyms keen and acute are sometimes interchangeable, but keen suggests quickness, enthusiasm, and a penetrating mind.

a keen observer of the political scene

When could sharp be used to replace acute?

While in some cases nearly identical to acute, sharp implies quick perception, clever resourcefulness, or sometimes questionable trickiness.

sharp enough to spot a confidence game

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of acute The amendments come out of an abundance of caution, in an effort to prevent acute kidney injury requiring intensive blood-cleaning hemodialysis treatment. New Atlas, 23 July 2025 Though there is an uptick in COVID-19 cases in more than two dozen states, the CDC says the overall amount of people seeking care for acute respiratory illnesses is at a very low level. Kathryn Palmer, USA Today, 22 July 2025 People experiencing traumatic bereavement often endure a longer and more intense acute grief period. Liza Barros-Lane, The Conversation, 17 July 2025 Since then, more than 57,000 Palestinians have been killed in Israeli attacks in Gaza, according to Reuters, and millions are suffering from acute malnutrition, starvation and illness. Anthony Robledo, USA Today, 12 July 2025 See All Example Sentences for acute
Recent Examples of Synonyms for acute
Adjective
  • In Cisco’s 2025 Data Privacy Benchmark, 64% of global respondents worry about inadvertently exposing sensitive information through AI tools, even as nearly half admit to feeding personal data into them.
    Boris Dzhingarov, Forbes.com, 15 July 2025
  • And new privacy legislation in Senate Bill 1295 requires collectors of sensitive data to notify consumers if their personal data is being used to train large language models.
    Angela Eichhorst, Hartford Courant, 15 July 2025
Adjective
  • For many who’ve been on the ground preventing violence in their communities, the debate at the Capitol feels urgent.
    Andrea May Sahouri, Freep.com, 25 July 2025
  • Sutton added that with higher participation in an opt-in system, emergency managers could use that channel for less urgent alerts and conserve IPAWS alerts for the most high-risk situations.
    Bayliss Wagner, Austin American Statesman, 25 July 2025
Adjective
  • The finish is long and intense, with lingering orchard fruits and spices.
    Joseph V Micallef, Forbes.com, 16 July 2025
  • People should avoid long and intense outdoor activity and stay inside when possible, NWS advises.
    Maia Pandey, jsonline.com, 15 July 2025
Adjective
  • Joe, who has asthma, strongly opposes the implementation of mask mandates that Mayor Ted Garcia (Pedro Pascal) is keen to enforce.
    Barry Levitt, Time, 23 July 2025
  • That’s another substantive topic worthy of keen chatter.
    Lance Eliot, Forbes.com, 22 July 2025
Adjective
  • Critics question whether a battery swap network—capital intensive, dependent on fleet adoption, and distributed across so many different markets—can scale profitably.
    Clay Chandler, Fortune, 19 July 2025
  • An intensive moisturiser that delivers maximum hydration, Revision’s DermProtect Barrier Defense™ also replenishes natural lipids, and enhances moisture retention.
    Angela Lei, Forbes.com, 13 July 2025
Adjective
  • The latest of the spacecraft, known as sounding rockets, most recently made a successful quick trip to space to study one of the most complex regions of the sun's atmosphere following a New Mexico launch.
    Eric Lagatta, USA Today, 21 July 2025
  • Instead, use this time to wind down maybe by stretching, reading, journaling or even doing a quick emotional check-in.
    Mark Travers, Forbes.com, 21 July 2025
Adjective
  • The two have one of the fiercest rivals in college football known as the Iron Bowl.
    Taylor Ardrey, USA Today, 19 July 2025
  • He’s also ruled out the Chinese mainland due to fierce competition, entrenched EV incumbents, and a power grid so advanced that ultra-fast charging is widely available—making battery swapping largely unnecessary.
    Clay Chandler, Fortune, 19 July 2025
Adjective
  • Over time, whites grew increasingly uneasy about submitting to Black barbers wielding sharp instruments.
    Margaret Talbot, New Yorker, 21 July 2025
  • The find came during an impressive outing for the 36-year-old Democrat on Joe Rogan’s podcast in which the aspiring preacher espoused the same brand of sharp sound bytes that has earned him almost a million TikTok followers.
    Philip Elliott, Time, 21 July 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Acute.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/acute. Accessed 29 Jul. 2025.

More from Merriam-Webster on acute

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