Definition: (1) sharpness or keenness of thought, vision, or hearing; keen focus; (2) having or showing a perceptive understanding or insight; shrewd; (3) a highly developed sense <physical or otherwise>
Derivation: Latin, “sharp, needle-like”
Quotes:
• One of the secrets of life is to keep our intellectual curiosity acute. — William Lyon Phelps (1865-1943) American author, critic, & scholar
• Creativity and insight almost always involve an experience of acute pattern recognition: the eureka moment in which we perceive the interconnection between disparate concepts or ideas to reveal something new. — Jason Luis Silva Mishkin (1982-) Venezuelan-American filmmaker, futurist, & pubic speaker
Comment: One can be remarkably acute in any physical sense – not only the five common physical ones – but also balance for a gymnast; morality for a politician; perspicacity for a teacher, etc.