The Clue
Critical, as a shortage (5 letter answer)
The Answer
ACUTE
Tags
Notes
The answer ACUTE is seen frequently, appearing about once every 140 puzzles.
Related Clues
Critical
Crucial
Dire
Extreme
Intense
Keen
Penetrating
Perspicacious
Severe
Sharp
Shrewd
Trenchant
Urgent
Angle type
Critical or crucial
Kind of accent
Kind of angle
Life-threatening
Not chronic
Opposite of obtuse
Sharp-witted
It's never right
Less than right?
Like some accents
Like some angles
Like some triangles
Not quite right?
Less than 90 (degrees)
Less than 90 degrees
Like a 45° or 60° angle
Definition
ACUTE as a noun:
1. (acute accent, acute, ague) = a mark (') placed above a vowel to indicate pronunciation
ACUTE as an adjective:
1. having or experiencing a rapid onset and short but severe course; "acute appendicitis"; "the acute phase of the illness"; "acute patients"
2. (acute, intense) = extremely sharp or intense; "acute pain"; "felt acute annoyance"; "intense itching and burning"
3. (acute, discriminating, incisive, keen, knifelike, penetrating, penetrative, piercing, sharp) = having or demonstrating ability to recognize or draw fine distinctions; "an acute observer of politics and politicians"; "incisive comments"; "icy knifelike reasoning"; "as sharp and incisive as the stroke of a fang"; "penetrating insight"; "frequent penetrative observations"
4. of an angle; less than 90 degrees
5. (acuate, acute, sharp, needlelike) = ending in a sharp point
6. of critical importance and consequence; "an acute (or critical) lack of research funds"