adj

sharp

shahp

adj

Having a fine edge or point that can cut or pierce easily.

"Be careful, that knife is very sharp."

"She sharpened the pencil until the tip was sharp enough to write with."

Quick to notice, understand, or think; mentally alert.

"He has a sharp mind for numbers."

"Her sharp questions caught him off guard."

Sudden and intense; abrupt.

"There was a sharp rise in prices last month."

"She felt a sharp pain in her side."

Harsh or critical in tone.

"He gave a sharp reply that ended the conversation."

(music) Raised in pitch by a semitone, or higher in pitch than intended.

"The note is marked sharp on the score."

"The singer went slightly sharp on the last note."

adv

Exactly, precisely (used after a time).

"Meet me at nine o'clock sharp."

How to Use Sharp

Learner’s notes

In plain EnglishAble to cut easily, or (of a person, pain, sound, or turn) intense, sudden, or keenly perceptive.

Common mistake

In music, "sharp" (♯) means a semitone higher — don't mix it up with "flat" (♭), which means a semitone lower.

Easily confused with

flat →

Common pairings

sharp knife sharp mind sharp turn sharp pain nine o'clock sharp

Word Forms

sharper comparative, sharper comparative, sharped past tense, Sharps plural, sharps singular, sharpest superlative, sharpest superlative

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Fill the Gap

Can you complete this real example?

Be careful, that knife is very _____.

Etymology

From Old English scearp, going back to a Germanic root meaning "to cut" — the same ancient root that gave us "shear" and "scrape."

Synonyms

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on the dot precisely

Antonyms

blunt dull dim dim-witted slow slow-witted thick flat

Related Words

slow money thin thick right overweight light beautiful

Rhymes for sharp

carp harp tarp warp Karp Earp

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