acutely

/əˈkyutli /

Use the adverb acutely to mean sharply or intensely. If your teacher reads your poem in front of the entire class, you may feel proud — or you might be acutely embarrassed.

In medicine, acutely is used to emphasize the seriousness of a condition or injury: "She is acutely allergic to antibiotics, so be sure to write that on her chart." Otherwise, you can use this adverb for anything that's especially vivid, like when you're acutely aware that everyone in the room is staring at your purple hat, or intensely unpleasant, like your little brother's acutely annoying whine. The Latin root, acutus, means "sharp or pointed."

Definitions of acutely

1. adverb

   in an acute manner
   “she pitied her sister acutely”

   “acutely aware”
2. adverb

   in a wise or thoughtful manner
   “he was acutely insightful”

   synonyms: astutely, sagaciously, sapiently, shrewdly
3. adverb

   having a rapid onset
   “an acutely debilitating virus”

   antonyms:

   chronically

   in a slowly developing and long lasting manner
4. adverb

   changing suddenly in direction and degree
   “the visor was acutely peaked”

   “her shoes had acutely pointed toes”

   synonyms: sharp, sharply