acuity

«acuity» in Mova's school dictionary: Sharpness of a sense, especially of eyesight or hearing:… — its meaning for a pupil, its sense in the lessons and examples.

part of speech

noun (acuity — usually uncountable)

meaning for a pupil

1) (formal) Sharpness of a sense, especially of eyesight or hearing: «visual acuity» means how clearly you can see small details. tree →

2) (formal) Sharpness of the mind: being quick to notice and understand things. tree →

sense in the lessons

In science and health lessons, eye tests measure visual acuity with a chart of letters getting smaller. Doctors say «20/20» (US) or «6/6» (UK) for normal acuity. In stories it describes a detective's sharp mind. Phrases: «visual acuity», «mental acuity».

examples

• The eye test measured my visual acuity. tree →
• Eagles have amazing visual acuity and can spot a mouse from high up. tree →
• The detective's acuity helped her solve the case. tree →
• Older dogs can lose some hearing acuity. tree →
• The optician said my acuity is better with glasses. tree →
• Owls have great acuity in the dark. tree →

note

Formal word; everyday words are «sharpness», «how well you see». Say «uh-KYOO-it-ee». Related: «acute» (sharp; also an acute angle, less than 90 degrees). Not «accuracy», though they are related in meaning.

Trees and pragmatics

Every meaning and example of «acuity» parsed by Mova, each sentence with its dependency tree and frames.