sharp
shahp
Sharp (adj) means having a fine edge or point that can cut or pierce easily. Example: “Be careful, that knife is very sharp.”
adj
1
Having a fine edge or point that can cut or pierce easily.
"Be careful, that knife is very sharp."
"She sharpened the pencil until the tip was sharp enough to write with."
"Use a sharp pair of scissors to cut the thick card."
2
Quick to notice, understand, or think; mentally alert.
"He has a sharp mind for numbers."
"Her sharp questions caught him off guard."
"The sharp young detective spotted the mistake in the report straight away."
3
Sudden and intense; abrupt.
"There was a sharp rise in prices last month."
"She felt a sharp pain in her side."
"The road took a sharp bend to the left just after the bridge."
4
Harsh or critical in tone.
"He gave a sharp reply that ended the conversation."
"I regretted my sharp words as soon as I saw her face."
"The teacher's sharp tone made the whole class go quiet."
5
(music) Raised in pitch by a semitone, or higher in pitch than intended.
"The note is marked sharp on the score."
"The singer went slightly sharp on the last note."
"The violin sounded sharp, so she turned the peg slightly to lower it."
adv
1
Exactly, precisely (used after a time).
"Meet me at nine o'clock sharp."
"The film starts at seven thirty sharp, so please do not be late."
"We leave at half past six sharp tomorrow morning."
How to use sharp
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishAble to cut easily, or (of a person, pain, sound, or turn) intense, sudden, or keenly perceptive.
Common mistake
In music, "sharp" (♯) means a semitone higher — don't mix it up with "flat" (♭), which means a semitone lower.
Easily confused with
Common pairings
sharp knife
sharp mind
sharp turn
sharp pain
nine o'clock sharp
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Word forms
- Third person singular
- sharps
- Past tense
- sharped
- Comparative
- sharper
- Superlative
- sharpest
Fill the gap
Can you complete this real example?
Be careful, that knife is very _____.
Etymology
From Old English scearp, going back to a Germanic root meaning "to cut" — the same ancient root that gave us "shear" and "scrape."
Synonyms
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Related words
Rhymes for sharp
See all rhymes for sharp →Frequently asked questions
What does “sharp” mean?
The word “sharp” means having a fine edge or point that can cut or pierce easily. In plain terms, able to cut easily, or (of a person, pain, sound, or turn) intense, sudden, or keenly perceptive.
How do you pronounce “sharp”?
“Sharp” is pronounced shahp (/ʃɑɹp/ in IPA).
How do you use “sharp” in a sentence?
Here is “sharp” used in a sentence: “Be careful, that knife is very sharp.”
What is another word for “sharp”?
Words with a similar meaning to “sharp” include on the dot and precisely.
What is the opposite of “sharp”?
The opposite of “sharp” — its antonyms — are blunt, dull, dim, dim-witted and slow.
What part of speech is “sharp”?
Depending on how it is used, “sharp” can be an adjective and an adverb.
Where does the word “sharp” come from?
The word “sharp” comes from Old English. From Old English scearp, going back to a Germanic root meaning "to cut" — the same ancient root that gave us "shear" and "scrape.".
Is “sharp” a common word?
“Sharp” is a fairly common word in modern English, usually learned at around the B1 level.
What is the difference between sharp and flat?
In music, where the two are most often paired, a sharp raises a note by a semitone and a flat lowers it by a semitone. More generally, describing a blade, the opposite of sharp is blunt or dull rather than flat. So "flat" contrasts with sharp mainly in pitch, not in cutting edges.
What is the opposite of sharp?
For a knife or point, the opposite of sharp is blunt or dull, meaning it cannot cut or pierce easily. In other senses the opposite shifts: a sharp mind versus a slow one, a sharp image versus a blurry one, or a sharp bend versus a gentle one.
What are the different meanings of sharp?
Beyond a keen cutting edge, sharp has many senses. It can mean intelligent or quick-witted (a sharp mind), sudden or abrupt (a sharp turn), intense (a sharp pain), stylish (a sharp suit), or, in music, a note raised by a semitone. Context decides which meaning applies.
What is an example of something sharp?
A newly honed kitchen knife is sharp, slicing through food with little effort. A needle, a shard of glass, a razor blade, and a thorn are all sharp because they have a fine edge or point that can pierce skin. Sharpness is what lets them cut easily.
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