clinicaladvisor.com: CDC, ACP issue guidelines for appropriate antibiotic use for acute respiratory tract infection in adults CDC, ACP issue guidelines for appropriate antibiotic use for acute respiratory tract infection in adults It first entered the English language with a medical sense, referring to the sharpness or severity of a symptom. It retains this meaning today, but can also refer to the severity of more general matters, such as "acute embarrassment" or "an acute shortage." ACUTE definition: sharp or severe in effect; intense. See examples of acute used in a sentence.

Understanding the Context

ACUTE definition: 1. If a bad situation is acute, it causes severe problems or damage: 2. An acute pain or illness…. Learn more.

Key Insights

In medicine, describing a disease as acute denotes that it is of recent onset; it occasionally denotes a short duration. In medical terminology, acute describes a condition that comes on suddenly and typically lasts a short time. It’s one of the most common words you’ll encounter on medical charts, diagnosis labels, and doctor visit summaries. 1. sharp or severe in effect; intense: acute pain.

Final Thoughts

2. extremely great or serious: an acute shortage of oil. 3. (of disease) brief and severe (disting. from chronic). 4.

penetrating in intellect, insight, or perception. 5. sensitive even to slight details or impressions: acute eyesight.