sharper

[ shahr-per ]

/ ˈʃɑr pər /

SEE SYNONYMS FOR sharper ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

a shrewd swindler.

a professional gambler.

Also sharpie.

Origin of sharper

First recorded in 1560–70; sharp + -er¹

Words nearby sharper

sharpbender, sharpbill, sharpe, sharpe's grysbok, sharpen, sharper, sharpeville, sharpey-schafer, sharpie, sharpish, sharps

Definition for sharper (2 of 2)

sharp

[ shahrp ]

/ ʃɑrp /

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

Example sentences from the Web for sharper

As part of the writing team on Blazing Saddles, he gave its parody of the Western a sharper political edge.

How Richard Pryor Beat Bill Cosby and Transformed America |David Yaffe, Scott Saul |December 10, 2014 |DAILY BEAST
And it gave this Anakonda a sharper bite than those that have gone before.

Shocked by Ukraine Violence, NATO Prepares to Face Down Putin |Leo Cendrowicz |October 12, 2014 |DAILY BEAST
For the 60 million people who watched the debate, the contrast of the candidates could not have been sharper.

CNN ’60s Series Looks at How the Kennedy-Nixon Debate Changed TV |Scott Porch |May 29, 2014 |DAILY BEAST
We went for more square, sharper, aggressive-looking shapes using dogs, bears, and birds of prey as models.

'Godzilla' Director Gareth Edwards Says Godzilla Is a 'God' Protecting Mankind Against Climate Change |Marlow Stern |May 14, 2014 |DAILY BEAST

Sharper asserts that all of the sex was consensual and even points to a previous sexual relationship with some of the victims.

Can Darren Sharper Beat His Rape Rap With the Kobe Defense? |Eboni K. Williams |March 18, 2014 |DAILY BEAST
My countrymen seemed chiselled in sharper angles than I had imagined at home.

The World's Greatest Books, Vol IX. |Edited by Arthur Mee and J.A. Hammerton
Miss Kilgour closed the door behind her with a sharper click than she had ever given its latch before.

The Landloper |Holman Day
The development of monotheism gave the problem a sharper point and a deeper meaning.

Determinism or Free-Will? |Chapman Cohen
Barbara came more slowly back, and looked somewhat as if she had had a sharper rebuke than she understood or relished.

Magnum Bonum |Charlotte M. Yonge
This effect is probably owing to our cruder soil and sharper climate.

Fresh Fields |John Burroughs

British Dictionary definitions for sharper (1 of 3)

sharper

/ (ˈʃɑːpə) /

noun

a person who cheats or swindles; fraud

British Dictionary definitions for sharper (2 of 3)

Sharp

/ (ʃɑːp) /

noun

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

British Dictionary definitions for sharper (3 of 3)

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

Idioms and Phrases with sharper

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

sharper

noun

Origin of sharper

Words nearby sharper

Definition for sharper (2 of 2)

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

Example sentences from the Web for sharper

British Dictionary definitions for sharper (1 of 3)

noun

British Dictionary definitions for sharper (2 of 3)

noun

British Dictionary definitions for sharper (3 of 3)

adjective

adverb

noun

verb

interjection

Derived forms of sharp

Word Origin for sharp

Idioms and Phrases with sharper

BROWSE DICTIONARY

Learning

sharper

noun

Origin of sharper

Words nearby sharper

Definition for sharper (2 of 2)

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 related to sharper

Example sentences from the Web for sharper

British Dictionary definitions for sharper (1 of 3)

noun

British Dictionary definitions for sharper (2 of 3)

noun

British Dictionary definitions for sharper (3 of 3)

adjective

adverb

noun

verb

interjection

Derived forms of sharp

Word Origin for sharp

Idioms and Phrases with sharper