SYNONYMS AND RELATED EXPRESSIONS
acuity
noun
Sharpness of perception, thought, or a sense such as vision.
Local English device voice, when available. This is not a recorded dictionary pronunciation.
Sharpness of thought
Closest synonyms
Related words and expressions
These extend or explain the idea and may require a different sentence structure.
Usage distinction
Return to topInsight concerns understanding; acuity emphasizes the sharpness with which someone perceives or thinks.
Sharpness of a sense
Closest synonyms
Related words and expressions
These extend or explain the idea and may require a different sentence structure.
Usage distinction
Return to topVisual resolution concerns fine detail; acuity can also qualify hearing or other perception.
CHECK THE MEANING IN CONTEXT
See acuity in use
Her intellectual acuity was evident in the questions she asked.
Returning to a fictional language club, Omar worried that his conversation skills would atrophy if he continued avoiding opportunities to use them. His retentive memory still held many words from earlier lessons, but recalling vocabulary did not settle every choice during a fast exchange. His partner's acuity showed in her quick recognition of a speaker's intended distinction.
Compare an alternative with the original word in each passage. Shared meanings do not make every pair interchangeable.
Synonym reference scope and sources
The groups distinguish the senses selected for this study entry. Closest synonyms and broader related expressions have separate labels. The listed sources support lexical selection; not every phrase is a direct quotation from a source.
How the synonym reference was prepared / WordNet 3.0 license