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Acute
1. Pertaining to a health-related condition, disease,
usually begins suddenly, is sharp and/or intense, and
lasts for a short period of time. Acute conditions may
or may not be severe. An example of an acute health-
related condition would be a sudden onset of visual
loss during a multiple sclerosis attack that goes away
within a few days. Multiple sclerosis is a condition in
which multiple areas of abnormal patches develop in
the brain and/or spinal cord.
An acute injury.
Some medical conditions include the word acute such as acute cerebellar ataxia, which
is a sudden loss of muscle coordination caused by damage and/or degeneration of the
cerebellum or connections to it.
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2. Pertaining to intense or highly intense exposure for a short period of time.
3. Sensing or perceiving in a way that is highly accurate and clear. For example,
someone who has acute vision will see things very well, even if they are far away.
4. Sharp or severe. An example would be acute headache pain.
Compare acute to chronic, which means pertaining to a health-related condition,
disease, state, disorder, or set of symptoms that lasts and/or frequently reoccurs over a
long period of time. Acute comes from the Latin word "acutus" meaning "sharp."
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