acute /əˈkju:t/ adj. 1.严重的，激烈的：acute pain 剧痛；an acute lack of food 食物的严重缺乏 2.敏锐的：acute sense of smell 灵敏的嗅觉［考句］ A human’s eyesight is not as acute as that of an eagle.人的视力没有鹰的视力锐利。［考句］Although most birds have only a negligible sense of smell, they have acute vision.虽然大部分的鸟嗅觉很差，但他们的视觉却非常敏锐。3.(疾病)急性的：an acute disease 急性疾病 4. 尖的，锐的：an acute angle (数学)锐角
［辨析］acute, keen, sharp和shrewd6均有 “敏锐的”之义，但各有侧重。acute主要指大脑、感官等察觉到意思、声音等的细小差别。如：an acute sense of smell；keen主要指大脑、人的五种感觉等很正常、很强烈理解快,感受深等。如：a keen mind (desire, eye)；sharp主要指思维、视觉、听觉“快捷的、灵敏的”。如：a sharp mind; sharp eyes (sight) shrewd6主要指判断精明、推理几乎错不了。如：a shrewd guess
