| The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language: Fourth Edition. 2000. |
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| sharp |
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| PRONUNCIATION: |  shärp |
| ADJECTIVE: | Inflected forms: sharp·er, sharp·est
1. Having a thin edge or a fine point suitable for or capable of cutting or piercing. 2a. Having clear form and detail: a sharp photographic image. b. Terminating in an edge or a point: sharp angular cliffs; a sharp nose. c. Clearly and distinctly set forth: sharp contrasts in behavior. 3. Abrupt or acute: a sharp drop; a sharp turn. 4a. Intellectually penetrating; astute. b. Marked by keenness and accuracy of perception: sharp hearing. 5. Crafty or deceitful, as in business dealings: sharp selling practices. 6. Vigilant; alert: kept a sharp lookout for shoplifters. 7a. Briskly or keenly cold and cutting: a sharp wind. b. Harsh or biting in tone or character: sharp criticism. 8. Fierce or impetuous; violent: a sharp temper; a sharp assault. 9. Intense; severe: a sharp pain. 10a. Sudden and shrill: a sharp whistle. b. Sudden and brilliant or dazzling: a sharp flash of lightning. 11. Strongly affecting the senses of smell and taste: a sharp pungent odor; a sharp cheese. 12. Composed of hard angular particles: sharp sand. 13. Music a. Raised in pitch by a semitone. b. Being above the proper pitch. c. Having the key signature in sharps. 14. Informal Attractive or stylish: a sharp jacket. See synonyms at fashionable. | | ADVERB: | 1. In a sharp manner: hit me sharp on the brow. 2. Punctually; exactly: at three o'clock sharp. 3. Music Above the true or proper pitch. | | NOUN: | 1. Music a. A sign (# ) used to indicate that a note is to be raised by a half step. b. A note that is raised a half step. 2. A slender sewing needle with a very fine point. 3. Informal a. An expert. b. A shrewd cheater; a sharper. | | VERB: | Inflected forms: sharped, sharp·ing, sharps
Music | | TRANSITIVE VERB: | To raise in pitch by a semitone. | | INTRANSITIVE VERB: | To play or sing above the proper pitch. | | ETYMOLOGY: | Middle English scharp, from Old English scearp. See sker-1 in Appendix I. | | OTHER FORMS: | sharp ly —ADVERB
sharpness —NOUN
| | SYNONYMS: | sharp, keen1, acute These adjectives all apply literally to fine edges, points, or tips. Figuratively they indicate mental alertness and clarity of comprehension. Sharp suggests quickness and astuteness: “a young man of sharp and active intellect” (John Henry Newman). Keen implies clear-headedness and acuity: a journalist with a keen mind and quick wits. Acute suggests penetrating perception or discernment: an acute observer of national politics.
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| The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition. Copyright © 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by the Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved. |
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