use-icon

HOW TO USE THE DICTIONARY

To look up an entry in The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, use the search window above. For best results, after typing in the word, click on the “Search” button instead of using the “enter” key.

Some compound words (like bus rapid transit, dog whistle, or identity theft) don’t appear on the drop-down list when you type them in the search bar. For best results with compound words, place a quotation mark before the compound word in the search window.

guide to the dictionary

use-icon

THE USAGE PANEL

The Usage Panel is a group of nearly 200 prominent scholars, creative writers, journalists, diplomats, and others in occupations requiring mastery of language. Annual surveys have gauged the acceptability of particular usages and grammatical constructions.

The Panelists

open-icon

AMERICAN HERITAGE DICTIONARY APP

The new American Heritage Dictionary app is now available for iOS and Android.

scroll-icon

THE AMERICAN HERITAGE DICTIONARY BLOG

The articles in our blog examine new words, revised definitions, interesting images from the fifth edition, discussions of usage, and more.

100-words-icon

See word lists from the best-selling 100 Words Series!

Find out more!

open-icon

INTERESTED IN DICTIONARIES?

Check out the Dictionary Society of North America at http://www.dictionarysociety.com

sharp (shärp)
Share:
adj. sharp·er, sharp·est
1. Having a thin edge or a fine point suitable for or capable of cutting or piercing.
2.
a. Having clear form and detail: a sharp photographic image.
b. Terminating in an edge or a point: sharp angular cliffs; a sharp nose.
c. Clearly and distinctly set forth: sharp contrasts in behavior.
3. Abrupt or acute: a sharp drop; a sharp turn.
4.
a. Intellectually penetrating; astute: was sharp in his analysis of the problem.
b. Marked by keenness and accuracy of perception: sharp hearing.
5. Crafty or deceitful, as in business dealings: sharp selling practices.
6. Vigilant; alert: kept a sharp lookout for shoplifters.
7.
a. Briskly or keenly cold and cutting: a sharp wind.
b. Harsh or biting in tone or character: sharp criticism.
8. Fierce or impetuous; violent: a sharp temper; a sharp assault.
9. Intense; severe: a sharp pain.
10.
a. Sudden and shrill: a sharp whistle.
b. Sudden and brilliant or dazzling: a sharp flash of lightning.
11. Strongly affecting the senses of smell and taste: a sharp pungent odor; a sharp cheese.
12. Composed of hard angular particles: sharp sand.
13. Music
a. Raised in pitch by a semitone.
b. Being above the proper pitch.
c. Having the key signature in sharps.
14. Informal Attractive or stylish: a sharp jacket.
adv.
1. In a sharp manner: hit me sharp on the brow.
2. Punctually; exactly: at three o'clock sharp.
3. Music Above the true or proper pitch.
n.
1. Music
a. A sign () used to indicate that a note is to be raised by a semitone.
b. A note that is raised a semitone.
2.
a. A slender sewing needle with a very fine point.
b. A hypodermic needle: a canister for disposing of used sharps.
3. Informal
a. An expert.
b. A shrewd cheater; a sharper.
v. sharped, sharp·ing, sharps
Music
v.tr.
To raise in pitch by a semitone.
v.intr.
To play or sing above the proper pitch.

[Middle English, from Old English scearp; see sker-1 in the Appendix of Indo-European roots.]

sharply adv.
sharpness n.

Synonyms: sharp, keen1, acute
These adjectives all apply literally to fine edges, points, or tips. Figuratively they indicate mental alertness and clarity of comprehension. Sharp suggests quickness and astuteness: "a young man of sharp and active intellect" (John Henry Newman).
Keen implies clear-headedness and acuity: a journalist with a keen mind and quick wits.
Acute suggests penetrating perception or discernment: an acute observer of national politics. See Also Synonyms at fashionable.

The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition copyright ©2022 by HarperCollins Publishers. All rights reserved.
 

Indo-European & Semitic Roots Appendices

    Thousands of entries in the dictionary include etymologies that trace their origins back to reconstructed proto-languages. You can obtain more information about these forms in our online appendices:

    Indo-European Roots

    Semitic Roots

    The Indo-European appendix covers nearly half of the Indo-European roots that have left their mark on English words. A more complete treatment of Indo-European roots and the English words derived from them is available in our Dictionary of Indo-European Roots.