sharp

[ shahrp ]

/ ʃɑrp /

SEE SYNONYMS FOR sharp ON THESAURUS.COM

adjective, sharp·er, sharp·est.

having a thin cutting edge or a fine point; well-adapted for cutting or piercing: a sharp knife.

terminating in an edge or point; not blunt or rounded: The table had sharp corners.

involving a sudden or abrupt change in direction or course: a sharp curve in the road; The car made a sharp turn.

abrupt, as an ascent: a sharp drop.

consisting of angular lines and pointed forms or of thin, long features: He had a sharp face.

clearly defined; distinct: a sharp photographic image.

distinct or marked, as a contrast: sharp differences of opinion.

pungent or biting in taste: a sharp cheese.

piercing or shrill in sound: a sharp cry.

keenly cold, as weather: a sharp, biting wind.

felt acutely; intense; distressing: sharp pain.

merciless, caustic, or harsh: sharp words.

fierce or violent: a sharp struggle.

keen or eager: sharp desire.

quick, brisk, or spirited.

alert or vigilant: They kept a sharp watch for the enemy.

mentally acute: a sharp lad.

extremely sensitive or responsive; keen: sharp vision; sharp hearing.

shrewd or astute: a sharp bargainer.

shrewd to the point of dishonesty: sharp practice.

Music.

(of a tone) raised a chromatic half step in pitch: F sharp.
above an intended pitch, as a note; too high (opposed to flat¹def 26b).

Informal. very stylish: a sharp dresser; a sharp jacket.

Radio, Electronics. of, relating to, or responsive to a very narrow range of frequencies. Compare broadband.

Phonetics. fortis; voiceless.

composed of hard, angular grains, as sand.

verb (used with object)

Music. to raise in pitch, especially by one chromatic half step.

verb (used without object)

to sound above the true pitch.

adverb

keenly or acutely.

abruptly or suddenly: to pull a horse up sharp.

punctually: Meet me at one o'clock sharp.

vigilantly: Look sharp!

briskly; quickly.

Music. above the true pitch: You're singing a little sharp.

noun

something sharp.

Usually sharps. a medium-length needle with a rounded eye and a sharp point, used for all-purpose hand sewing.

a sharper.

Informal. an expert.

Music.

a tone one chromatic half step above a given tone.
(in musical notation) the symbol ♯ indicating this.

Origin of sharp

before 900; (adj.) Middle English; Old English scearp; cognate with German scharf; akin to Irish cearb a cut (noun), keen (adj.); (adv.) Middle English; Old English scearpe, derivative of the adj.; (noun) Middle English, derivative of the adj.; (v.) derivative of the adj.

SYNONYMS FOR sharp

1 Sharp, keen refer to the edge or point of an instrument, tool, and the like. Sharp applies, in general, to a cutting edge or a point capable of piercing: a sharp knife; a sharp point. Keen is usually applied to sharp edges: a keen sword blade.

6 clear.

8 acrid, bitter, piquant, sour.

10 piercing, nipping, biting.

11 severe, excruciating.

12 unmerciful, cutting, acid, acrimonious, pointed, biting.

16 attentive.

17 clever, discriminating, discerning, perspicacious. As applied to mental qualities, sharp, keen, intelligent, quick have varying implications. Sharp suggests an acute, sensitive, alert, penetrating quality: a sharp mind. Keen implies observant, incisive, and vigorous: a keen intellect. Intelligent means not only acute, alert, and active, but also able to reason and understand: an intelligent reader. Quick suggests lively and rapid comprehension, prompt response to instruction, and the like: quick at figures.

20 shady, deceitful.

SEE SYNONYMS FOR sharp ON THESAURUS.COM

ANTONYMS FOR sharp

1 dull.

SEE ANTONYMS FOR sharp ON THESAURUS.COM

OTHER WORDS FROM sharp

sharp·ly, adverb sharp·ness, noun o·ver·sharp, adjective su·per·sharp, adjective

ul·tra·sharp, adjective un·sharp, adjective un·sharp·ly, adverb un·sharp·ness, noun un·sharped, adjective un·sharp·ing, adjective

Words nearby sharp

sharleen, sharm al-sheikh, sharon, sharon fruit, sharonville, sharp, sharp as a tack, sharp practice, sharp-cut, sharp-eared, sharp-edged

Definition for sharp (2 of 2)

Sharp

[ shahrp ]

/ ʃɑrp /

noun

WilliamFiona Macleod,1855?–1905, Scottish poet and critic.

Example sentences from the Web for sharp

To unwind, Sharp takes long showers, and stops himself from separating his food on his plate as Christopher would.

The Brit Who Stormed Broadway |Tim Teeman |December 7, 2014 |DAILY BEAST
Sharp has spent so long being Christopher he can just “drop into him and stay in him consistently” before a performance.

The Brit Who Stormed Broadway |Tim Teeman |December 7, 2014 |DAILY BEAST
Sharp was born in London, and spent the first seven years of his life traveling with his family around the US.

The Brit Who Stormed Broadway |Tim Teeman |December 7, 2014 |DAILY BEAST
Long before rehearsals began, Sharp started to embody Christopher.

The Brit Who Stormed Broadway |Tim Teeman |December 7, 2014 |DAILY BEAST

“Everything for someone like Christopher is over-stimulation,” Sharp says.

The Brit Who Stormed Broadway |Tim Teeman |December 7, 2014 |DAILY BEAST
I do not remember much else about it; indeed, the pain in my arm was so sharp that I had no eyes for physical features.

Ayesha |H. Rider Haggard
A soft breeze brought us the thrilling sounds of sharp firing, the crackling of machine-guns.

Six Women and the Invasion |Gabrielle Yerta
Just then an aide rode up, and the Colonel gave a sharp command which put an end to this desultory talk.

The Crisis, Complete |Winston Churchill
One sharp word from Stewart calmed Madeline's horse; the other horses, however, were frightened and not inclined to stand.

The Light of Western Stars |Zane Grey
Beside it, a tall needle of rock, serrated and sharp, shot up.

My New Curate |P.A. Sheehan

British Dictionary definitions for sharp (1 of 2)

sharp

/ (ʃɑːp) /

adjective

having a keen edge suitable for cutting

having an edge or point; not rounded or blunt

involving a sudden change, esp in direction a sharp bend

moving, acting, or reacting quickly, efficiently, etc sharp reflexes

clearly defined

mentally acute; clever; astute

sly or artful; clever in an underhand way sharp practice

bitter or harsh sharp words

shrill or penetrating a sharp cry

having an acrid taste

keen; biting a sharp wind; sharp pain

music

(immediately postpositive) denoting a note that has been raised in pitch by one chromatic semitoneB sharp
(of an instrument, voice, etc) out of tune by being or tending to be too high in pitchCompare flat 1 (def. 23)

phonetics a less common word for fortis

informal

stylish
too smart

at the sharp end involved in the area of any activity where there is most difficulty, competition, danger, etc

adverb

in a sharp manner

exactly six o'clock sharp

music

higher than a standard pitch
out of tune by being or tending to be too high in pitchshe sings sharp Compare flat 1 (def. 29)

noun

music

an accidental that raises the pitch of the following note by one chromatic semitoneUsual symbol: ♯
a note affected by this accidentalCompare flat 1 (def. 35)

a thin needle with a sharp point

informal a sharper

(usually plural) any medical instrument with sharp point or edge, esp a hypodermic needle

verb

(tr) music, US and Canadian to raise the pitch of (a note), esp by one chromatic semitone Usual equivalent in Britain and certain other countries): sharpen

interjection

Southern African slang an exclamation of full agreement or approval

Derived forms of sharp

sharply, adverb sharpness, noun

Word Origin for sharp

Old English scearp; related to Old Norse skarpr, Old High German scarpf, Old Irish cerb, Lettish skarbs

British Dictionary definitions for sharp (2 of 2)

Sharp

/ (ʃɑːp) /

noun

Cecil (James). 1859–1924, British musician, best known for collecting, editing, and publishing English folk songs

Idioms and Phrases with sharp

sharp

In addition to the idioms beginning with sharp

sharp as a tack
sharp practice

also see:

keep an eye (a sharp lookout) for
look sharp

BROWSE DICTIONARY

Learning

sharp

adjective, sharp·er, sharp·est.

verb (used with object)

verb (used without object)

adverb

noun

Origin of sharp

SYNONYMS FOR sharp

ANTONYMS FOR sharp

OTHER WORDS FROM sharp

Words nearby sharp

Definition for sharp (2 of 2)

noun

Example sentences from the Web for sharp

British Dictionary definitions for sharp (1 of 2)

adjective

adverb

noun

verb

interjection

Derived forms of sharp

Word Origin for sharp

British Dictionary definitions for sharp (2 of 2)

noun

Idioms and Phrases with sharp

BROWSE DICTIONARY

Learning

sharp

adjective, sharp·er, sharp·est.

verb (used with object)

verb (used without object)

adverb

noun

Origin of sharp

SYNONYMS FOR sharp

ANTONYMS FOR sharp

OTHER WORDS FROM sharp

Words nearby sharp

Definition for sharp (2 of 2)

noun

Words related to sharp

Example sentences from the Web for sharp

British Dictionary definitions for sharp (1 of 2)

adjective

adverb

noun

verb

interjection

Derived forms of sharp

Word Origin for sharp

British Dictionary definitions for sharp (2 of 2)

noun

Idioms and Phrases with sharp