Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English homepage

Date: 1300-1400
Language: Latin
Origin: , past participle of acuere 'to sharpen', from acus 'needle'

acute

 adjective
     
a‧cute
1

problem

an acute problem is very serious:
The housing shortage is more acute than first thought.
2

feeling

an acute feeling is very strong:
acute embarrassment
acute anxiety
3

illness

technical an acute illness or disease quickly becomes very serious [≠ chronic]:
acute arthritis
4

senses

acute senses such as hearing, taste, touch etc are very good and sensitive:
Young children have a particularly acute sense of smell.
5

intelligent

quick to notice and understand things [= sharp]:
Simon's vague manner concealed an acute mind.
an acute analysis of Middle Eastern politics
6

mathematics

technical an acute angle is less than 90º [↪ obtuse]
7

punctuation

an acute accent (=a mark used to show pronunciation) is a small mark written above a vowel. In 'café', the letter 'e' has an acute accent [↪ grave, circumflex]
—acuteness noun [uncountable]
Definition from the Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English
Advanced Learner's Dictionary.

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