The difference between Acute and Obtuse

When used as verbs, acute means to give an acute sound to, whereas obtuse means to dull or reduce an emotion or a physical state.

When used as adjectives, acute means brief, quick, short, whereas obtuse means .

Acute is also noun with the meaning: a person who has the acute form of a disorder, such as schizophrenia.

check bellow for the other definitions of Acute and Obtuse

  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. Obtuse as an adjective (now, chiefly, botany, zoology):

    ; not sharp, pointed, or acute in form. Blunt, or rounded at the extremity. One that is larger than one and smaller than two right angles, or more than 90 and less than 180. , having an obtuse angle.

  2. Obtuse as an adjective:

    Intellectually dull or dim-witted.

  3. Obtuse as an adjective:

    Of sound, etc.: deadened, muffled, muted.

  4. Obtuse as an adjective:

    Indirect or circuitous.

  1. Obtuse as a verb (transitive, obsolete):

    To dull or reduce an emotion or a physical state.

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