Dictionary

acuity en · NOUN

Pronunciation

• /əˈkjuːɪti/
• (Southern-England) audio

Etymology

From Middle English acuite, acuyte, from Middle French acuité, from Medieval Latin acuitas, irreg., from Latin acuō (“sharpen”).

Meanings

1. Sharpness or acuteness, as of a needle, wit, etc.
2. (figuratively) The ability to think, see, or hear clearly.
   • Donald Trump’s frequently bizarre public appearances[…] have once again raised questions about his mental acuity, experts say. […] During his presidency, Joe Biden was subjected to intense speculation over his mental acuity – including from Trump. 2025 August 3, Adam Gabbatt, “‘He has trouble completing a thought’: bizarre public appearances again cast doubt on Trump’s mental acuity”, in The Guardian, →ISSN:
   • The old woman with dementia lost her mental acuity.
   • And yet [Ray] Dalio’s acuity prompts an awkward question: how much of Bridgewater’s success comes not from the way it is organized, or any notion of “radical transparency,” but from the boss’s raw investment abilities? 2011 July 18, John Cassidy, “Mastering the Machine”, in The New Yorker, →ISSN:

Forms

Deriveds

visual acuity · stereoacuity · hyperacuity

Relateds

acuition · acuteness · acute · acutance

Synonyms

wisdom

Translations (31)

nl scherpte (sharpness or acuteness) · fi terävyys (sharpness or acuteness) · it acutezza (sharpness or acuteness) · ru острота́ (sharpness or acuteness) · de Schärfe (sharpness or acuteness) · bg острота (sharpness or acuteness) · cmn 敏銳 /敏锐 (sharpness or acuteness) · sh akuitet (sharpness or acuteness) · pt acuidade (sharpness or acuteness) · eo sagaceco (sharpness or acuteness) · ro acuitate (sharpness or acuteness) · sh oštrina (sharpness or acuteness) · cs ostrost (sharpness or acuteness) · gl acuidade (sharpness or acuteness) · pl ostrość (sharpness or acuteness) · cmn 銳利 /锐利 (sharpness or acuteness) · da skarphed (sharpness or acuteness) · es acuidad (sharpness or acuteness) · ru ре́зкость (sharpness or acuteness) · be вастрыня́ (sharpness or acuteness) · cs vnímavost (sharpness or acuteness) · cmn 尖銳 /尖锐 (sharpness or acuteness) · el οξυδέρκεια (sharpness or acuteness) · cs bystrost (sharpness or acuteness) · ast agudeza (sharpness or acuteness) · uk гострота́ (sharpness or acuteness) · sv skärpa (sharpness or acuteness) · cs pronikavost (sharpness or acuteness) · hu élesség (sharpness or acuteness) · mi nahotanga (sharpness or acuteness) · fr acuité (sharpness or acuteness)