sharp
sharp Lexical Profile
sharp Game Scores & Validity
• adjective
Having a thin edge able to cut or a fine point able to pierce.
"The chef used a very sharp knife to slice the vegetables thinly."
Quick to notice, understand, or react to things; mentally acute or perceptive.
"She has a sharp mind and noticed the discrepancy in the financial report immediately."
Sudden, intense, and clearly felt or marked (of a physical sensation, turn, or change).
"There was a sharp drop in temperatures overnight as the cold front moved through."
Having a strong, acidic, or pungent flavor or smell that is not mild.
"We added aged cheddar to the sauce to give it a distinctively sharp flavor."
Above the true or intended musical pitch, or raised by a semitone.
"The violin sounded slightly sharp during the opening solo, so the musician adjusted the tuning peg."
• adverb
Precisely at the stated time; punctually.
"The committee meeting will begin at nine o'clock sharp."
Above the true or proper musical pitch.
"The choir tended to sing sharp when performing the upper register passages."
• noun
A musical note raised a semitone above natural pitch, or the sign (#) indicating this in musical notation.
"The key signature of G major contains one sharp."
A medical or laboratory instrument with a sharp point or cutting edge, such as a hypodermic needle or scalpel, especially when requiring safe disposal (usually in plural).
"All used syringes and needles must be placed immediately into the designated sharps container."
• verb
North American To raise the pitch of a musical note by a semitone, or to sing or play above the true pitch.
"The composer sharped the seventh note of the scale to create a strong leading tone."
Word Nuance & Usage
As an adverb, 'sharp' is used in specific fixed contexts such as telling time ('at nine o'clock sharp') or describing musical pitch ('singing sharp'), whereas 'sharply' is the general adverb used for sudden actions, steep changes, or harsh speech.
• Rhymes for sharp
Word Origin & Etymology
From Old English 'scearp', meaning having a cutting edge or keen intellect, derived from Proto-Germanic '*skarpaz' and ultimately from the Proto-Indo-European root '*(s)ker-', meaning to cut.