acute
/əˈkjuːt/ (bre, ipa) · /əˈkjuːt/ (ame, ipa) · /ə-ˈkyüt/ (ame, mw)
acute — 形容詞
1. causing very serious difficulty and needing fast action because the harm is alre
嚴峻；危急
情勢嚴重且急需處理
causing very serious difficulty and needing fast action because the harm is already great or getting worse.
The town faced an acute water shortage after three weeks without rain.
連續三週沒下雨後，這個城鎮面臨嚴峻的缺水問題。
acute shortage of + noun
Doctors warned of an acute lack of beds after the factory fire.
工廠失火後，醫師警告病床將嚴重不足。
acute lack of + noun
Rising food prices created acute pressure on poor families this winter.
食物價格上漲，讓貧困家庭在這個冬天承受嚴峻壓力。
The school is in acute need of more science teachers.
這所學校急需更多自然科老師。
After the storm, several villages were in acute danger from landslides.
暴風雨過後，幾個村莊面臨山崩的嚴重威脅。
- minor
describes something small and not very serious
- manageable
suggests the problem can be handled without major difficulty
文法句型
acute + problem/situation/shortage
be in acute need of + noun
acute lack/shortage of + noun
用法筆記
Usually modifies nouns such as shortage, need, danger, crisis, and pressure. Distinguish this sense from adjective/2: this one describes a serious situation, not a health problem or physical pain.
常見錯誤
2. appearing suddenly and becoming very painful or dangerous within a short time, e
急性；劇痛
病痛突然發作且很嚴重
appearing suddenly and becoming very painful or dangerous within a short time, especially of illness or physical pain.
Nina went to the hospital with acute chest pain after lunch.
妮娜午餐後因急性胸痛去了醫院。
acute + pain noun
The doctor treated an acute ear infection before it spread deeper.
醫師在感染往更深處擴散前治療了急性耳部感染。
acute + illness noun
Leo had acute stomach pain during the night and could not stand.
里歐夜裡胃部劇痛，痛到站不起來。
Acute asthma can become dangerous fast without the right medicine.
急性氣喘若沒有適當藥物，很快就會變得危險。
After the fall, Marta felt acute pain in her left shoulder.
跌倒後，瑪塔左肩感到一陣劇痛。
文法句型
acute + pain/illness/infection
acute pain in + body part
acute + medical condition
用法筆記
Mostly used in medical contexts and often placed before pain or illness nouns. Frequently contrasted with chronic, which describes conditions that last a long time instead of starting suddenly.
常見錯誤
3. quick and exact at noticing fine detail or understanding what is happening; used
敏銳的
能察覺細微差別
quick and exact at noticing fine detail or understanding what is happening; used about the mind, senses, or observation.
With her acute hearing, Mei noticed the weak alarm first.
憑著敏銳的聽力，美先注意到那個微弱的警報聲。
acute + sense noun
The detective's acute eye spotted a missing button on the floor.
偵探以敏銳的眼力發現地板上少了一顆鈕扣。
acute eye
Sam's acute ear caught the wrong note in the choir.
山姆敏銳的聽力聽出了合唱中的錯音。
Years of trading gave Omar an acute sense of market change.
多年的交易經驗讓歐瑪對市場變化有敏銳的感覺。
Lena's acute mind saw the problem in the plan at once.
莉娜敏銳的頭腦立刻看出了計畫裡的問題。
- keen
very close in meaning and common with senses or intelligence
- sharp
more everyday; often used for minds and eyes
- perceptive
focuses on understanding hidden details or other people's feelings
- observant
stresses careful noticing more than quick intelligence
- dull
not quick at noticing or understanding
- unobservant
fails to notice details
文法句型
acute + mind/eye/ear/sense
acute awareness of + noun
acute comment/observation
用法筆記
Common with nouns like mind, eye, ear, sense, and awareness. Unlike adjective/1 and adjective/2, this sense is positive and describes skill in noticing or understanding small differences.
常見錯誤
4. describing an angle that opens less than ninety degrees.
銳角的
角度小於九十度
describing an angle that opens less than ninety degrees.
Each triangle in the pattern has two acute angles.
這個圖案中的每個三角形都有兩個銳角。
acute angles
Draw an acute angle at the top of the roof shape.
在屋頂形狀的頂端畫一個銳角。
acute angle
The child marked the forty-degree corner as acute.
那個孩子把四十度的角標成銳角。
An acute angle is smaller than a right angle.
銳角比直角小。
On the chart, the blue line meets the wall at an acute angle.
在圖表上，藍線和牆面形成一個銳角。
文法句型
acute angle
angle is acute
用法筆記
Used almost only in geometry. It usually appears with angle or after be when naming the size of an angle, and it contrasts with right and obtuse.
常見錯誤
acute — 名詞
1. the slanting mark ´ placed over a letter to guide pronunciation or stress in som
尖音符
標在字母上方的發音符號
the slanting mark ´ placed over a letter to guide pronunciation or stress in some languages.
In Spanish class, Ana forgot the acute on the final e.
在西班牙文課上，安娜漏掉了最後那個 e 上面的尖音符。
acute on + letter
The dictionary prints an acute over the vowel in that word.
那本字典在這個字的母音上方印了一個尖音符。
acute over + vowel
Write cafe with an acute above the e.
請把 cafe 的 e 上面加上尖音符。
French learners often ask when to use an acute and when not to.
法文學習者常常會問什麼時候要用尖音符，什麼時候不用。
The keyboard shortcut adds an acute to the letter quickly.
這個鍵盤快捷鍵可以很快替字母加上尖音符。
- acute accent
the full standard name
- accent mark
broader term that can include other marks too
- diacritic
technical cover term for marks added to letters
文法句型
an acute
acute over/above + letter
用法筆記
Mostly used in language study, and many learners say acute accent in full outside technical shorthand. The mark is written above a letter, not beside it like an apostrophe.