■ adjective
1》 critical; serious: an ~ housing shortage.
↘(of an illness) coming sharply to a crisis; severe. Often contrasted with chronic .
2》 perceptive; shrewd.
↘(of a physical sense or faculty) highly developed.
3》 (of an angle) less than 90°.
4》 (of a sound) high; shrill.
■ noun short for ~ accent .
Derivatives
acutance noun
~ly adverb
~ness noun
Origin
ME: from L. acut- , acuere 'sharpen', from acus 'needle'.