The difference between Acute and Chronic

When used as nouns, acute means a person who has the acute form of a disorder, such as schizophrenia, whereas chronic means marijuana, typically of high quality.

When used as adjectives, acute means brief, quick, short, whereas chronic means of a problem, that continues over an extended period of time.


Acute is also verb with the meaning: to give an acute sound to.

check bellow for the other definitions of Acute and Chronic

  1. Acute as an adjective:

    Brief, quick, short.

    Examples:

    "synonyms fast rapid"

    "antonyms leisurely slow"

    "It was an acute event."

  2. Acute as an adjective:

    High or shrill.

    Examples:

    "an acute accent or tone"

  3. Acute as an adjective:

    Intense, sensitive, sharp.

    Examples:

    "synonyms kepowerfustrong"

    "antonyms dulobtuse slow witless"

    "She had an acute sense of honour.  Eagles have very acute vision."

  4. Acute as an adjective:

    Urgent.

    Examples:

    "synonyms emergent pressing suddurgent"

    "His need for medical attention was acute."

  5. Acute as an adjective (botany):

    With the sides meeting directly to form an acute angle (at an apex or base).

    Examples:

    "synonyms obtuse"

  6. Acute as an adjective (geometry):

    Of an angle: less than 90 degrees.

    Examples:

    "antonyms obtuse"

  7. Acute as an adjective (geometry):

    Of a triangle: having all three interior angles measuring less than 90 degrees.

    Examples:

    "synonyms acute-angled"

    "antonyms obtuse obtuse-angled"

  8. Acute as an adjective (linguistics, chiefly, historical):

    Of an accent or tone: generally higher than others.

  9. Acute as an adjective (medicine):

    Of an abnormal condition of recent or sudden onset, in contrast to delayed onset; this sense does not imply severity, unlike the common usage.

    Examples:

    "He dropped dead of an acute illness."

  10. Acute as an adjective (medicine):

    Of a short-lived condition, in contrast to a chronic condition; this sense also does not imply severity.

    Examples:

    "antonyms chronic"

    "The acute symptoms resolved promptly."

  11. Acute as an adjective (orthography):

    After a letter of the alphabet: having an acute accent.

    Examples:

    "The last letter of ‘café’ is ‘e’ acute."

  1. Acute as a noun (medicine):

    A person who has the acute form of a disorder, such as schizophrenia.

  2. Acute as a noun (linguistics, chiefly, historical):

    An accent or tone higher than others.

    Examples:

    "antonyms grave"

  3. Acute as a noun (orthography):

    An acute accent (´).

    Examples:

    "The word ‘cafe’ often has an acute over the ‘e’."

  1. Acute as a verb (transitive, phonetics):

    To give an acute sound to.

    Examples:

    "He acutes his rising inflection too much."

  2. Acute as a verb (transitive, archaic):

    To make acute; to sharpen, to whet.

  1. Chronic as an adjective:

    Of a problem, that continues over an extended period of time.

    Examples:

    "'chronic unemployment; chronic poverty; chronic anger"

  2. Chronic as an adjective (medicine):

    Prolonged or slow to heal.

    Examples:

    "'chronic cough; chronic headache; chronic illness"

  3. Chronic as an adjective:

    Of a person, suffering from an affliction that is prolonged or slow to heal.

    Examples:

    "'Chronic patients must learn to live with their condition."

  4. Chronic as an adjective:

    Inveterate or habitual.

    Examples:

    "He's a chronic smoker."

  5. Chronic as an adjective (slang):

    Very bad, awful.

    Examples:

    "That concert was chronic."

  6. Chronic as an adjective (informal):

    Extremely serious.

    Examples:

    "They left him in a chronic condition."

  7. Chronic as an adjective (slang):

    Good, great; "wicked".

    Examples:

    "That was cool, chronic in fact."

  1. Chronic as a noun (slang):

    Marijuana, typically of high quality.

  2. Chronic as a noun (medicine):

    A condition of extended duration, either continuous or marked by frequent recurrence. Sometimes implies a condition which worsens with each recurrence, though that is not inherent in the term.

  3. Chronic as a noun:

    A person who is chronic, such as a criminal reoffender or a person with chronic disease.

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