Dictionary Definition
sharp adj
1 (of something seen or heard) clearly defined;
"a sharp photographic image"; "the sharp crack of a twig"; "the
crisp snap of dry leaves underfoot" [syn: crisp]
3 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" [syn: acute, discriminating, incisive, keen, knifelike, penetrating, penetrative, piercing]
4 marked by practical hardheaded intelligence; "a
smart businessman"; "an astute tenant always reads the small print
in a lease"; "he was too shrewd to go along with them on a road
that could lead only to their overthrow" [syn: astute, shrewd]
5 harsh; "sharp criticism"; "a sharp-worded
exchange"; "a tart remark" [syn: sharp-worded,
tart]
7 extremely steep; "an abrupt canyon"; "the
precipitous rapids of the upper river"; "the precipitous hills of
Chinese paintings"; "a sharp drop" [syn: abrupt, precipitous]
8 keenly and painfully felt; as if caused by a
sharp edge or point; "a sharp pain"; "sharp winds" [ant: dull]
9 very penetrating and clear and sharp in
operation; "an incisive mind"; "a keen intelligence"; "of sharp and
active intellect" [syn: incisive, keen]
10 having or made by a thin edge or sharp point;
suitable for cutting or piercing; "a sharp knife"; "a pencil with a
sharp point" [ant: dull]
13 very sudden and in great amount or degree; "a
sharp drop in the stock market"
14 quick and forceful; "a sharp blow"
Noun
1 a musical notation indicating one half step
higher than the note named
2 a long thin sewing needle with a sharp point
adv : changing suddenly in direction and degree; "the road twists
sharply after the light"; "turn sharp left here" [syn: sharply]
User Contributed Dictionary
English
Etymology
from scearpAdjective
- Able to cut easily.
- I keep my knives sharp so that they don't slip unexpectedly while carving.
- Intelligent.
- My nephew is a sharp lad; he can count to 100 in six languages, and he's only five years old.
- Able to pierce
easily.
- Ernest had made the pencil too sharp, and accidentally stabbed himself with it.
- Higher than usual by one semitone (denoted by the name of the note followed by the symbol ♯).
- Higher in pitch than required.
- The oboe was an eighth of a tone sharp.
- Having an intense,
acrid flavour, as sharp cheddar.
- Milly couldn't stand sharp cheeses when she was pregnant, as they made her nauseous.
- Intense and sudden,
as a sharp pain.
- During labor, pregnant women will experience sharp contractions.
- Illegal or dishonest, as a sharp
practice.
- Michael had a number of sharp ventures on the side that he kept off the books.
- Exact, precise, accurate; keen.
- You'll need sharp aim to make that shot.
- Offensive,
critical, or acrimonious, as sharp
criticism.
- When the two rivals met, first there were sharp words, and then a fight broke out.
- Stylish or attractive.
- You look so sharp in that tuxedo!
- Observant;
alert; acute.
- Keep a sharp watch on the prisoners. I don't want them to escape!
Synonyms
- i-c able to cut easily keen, razor, razor-sharp
- i-c intelligent brainy, bright, intelligent, keen, smart, witty
- i-c able to pierce easily pointed
- acrid, pungent
- i-c sudden and intense abrupt, acute, stabbing
- dishonest, dodgy, illegal, illicit, underhand
- i-c accurate accurate, exact, keen, precise
- i-c critical acrimonious, bitter, cutting, harsh, hostile, nasty
- chic, elegant, smart, stylish
- i-c observant acute, alert, keen, observant, sharp-eyed
Antonyms
- i-c able to cut easily blunt, dull
- i-c intelligent dim, dim-witted, slow, slow-witted, thick
- i-c able to pierce easily blunt
- flat
- flat
- bland, insipid, tasteless
- i-c sudden and intense dull
- above-board, honest, legit, legitimate, reputable
- i-c accurate inaccurate, imprecise
- i-c critical complimentary, flattering, friendly, kind, nice
- inelegant, scruffy, shabby
- i-c observant unobservant
Translations
able to cut easily
- Arabic:
- Catalan: esmolat
- Chinese: 銳利 (ruìlì)
- Czech: ostrý
- Danish: skarp, spids
- Dutch: scherp, scherpe
- Finnish: terävä
- French: affilé , coupant (coupante )
- German: scharf
- Hungarian: éles
- Ido: akuta
- Irish: géar
- Italian: affilato
- Japanese: 鋭い (するどい, surudoi)
- Korean: 날카로운 (nalkaroun)
- Kurdish:
- Sorani: تیژ
- Latvian: ass, asa
- Polish: ostry
- Portuguese: afiado
- Romanian: ascuţit
- Russian: острый
- Scottish Gaelic: geur, biorach, searbh
- Slovene: oster , ostra , ostro
- Spanish: afilado
- Swedish: skarp, vass
- Telugu: పదునైన (padunaina)
intelligent
- Czech: bystrý
- Dutch: scherpzinnig
- Finnish: terävä, terävä-älyinen
- German: scharfsinning
- Italian: intelligente
- Russian: остроумный (ostroúmnyj), сметливый (sm'etlívyj), смышлёный (smyšl'ónyj), сообразительный (soobrazít'el'nyj)
- Swedish: skarpsinnig, klyftig
able to pierce easily
of a note, played a semitone higher than usual
of a scale, having a particular sharp note as
its tonic
musically higher-pitched than desired
- Dutch: hoog
- German: hoch
- Irish: géar
- Latvian: ass, asa
having an intense, acrid flavour
intense and sudden (of pain)
illegal or dishonest
- Italian: losco
- Portuguese: injusto
- Russian: сомнительный (somnít'el'nyj), тёмный (t'ómnyj)
exact, precise, accurate, keen
- Finnish: täsmällinen, tarkka
- Italian: esatto, preciso
- Russian: точный
- Scottish Gaelic: deas
offensive, critical, or acrimonious
stylish or attractive
- Finnish: tyylikäs
- German: scharf
observant, alert, acute
- Finnish: tarkka
- Italian: attento
- Scottish Gaelic: geur
- Slovene: oster , ostra , ostro
- ttbc Catalan: llest (2), punxegut (3), sostingut (4)
- ttbc French: intelligent (intelligente ) (2), pointu (pointue ) (3), dièse (4)
- ttbc Romanian: ascuţit (2, 3), diez (4)
- ttbc Spanish: listo (2), puntiagudo (3), sostenido (4)
- ttbc Telugu: చురుకైన (curukaina) (2), వాడియైన (vaaDiyaina) (3), తీవ్రమైన (teevramaina) (8), ఖచ్చితంగా (khaccitaMgaa) (10)
Adverb
en-adv er- Exactly.
- I'll see you at twelve o'clock sharp.
- In a higher pitch than is correct or desirable.
- I didn't enjoy the concert much because the tenor kept going sharp on the high notes.
Synonyms
- i-c exactly exactly, on the dot italbrac of time, precisely
Translations
exactly
- Finnish: tasan
- Spanish: en punto
in a higher pitch than is correct or desirable
Noun
- The symbol ♯, placed after the name of a note, in the key
signature, or before a note on the staff to indicate that the note is
to be played a semitone
higher.
- Frequently, transposition is harder to read because of all the sharps and flats on the staff.
- A note that is sharp in a particular key.
- The piece was difficult to read after it had been transposed, since in the new key many of the notes were sharps.
- Something which is sharp; usually used in the plural.
- Place sharps in a specially marked container for safe disposal.
- A dishonest
person; a cheater.
- The casino kept a set of pictures of known sharps in the break room for the bouncers to see.''
Translations
sign for a sharp note on the staff
- Dutch: kruis
- Finnish: risti
- Russian: диез
- Swedish: korsförtecken
a note that is sharp in a particular key
a sharp object
cheater or dishonest person
- Finnish: huijari
See also
Derived terms
double sharpExtensive Definition
Sharp may refer to:
- Sharp (music), a musical notation sign (music sharp)
- Sharp (flour), a flour made from hard wheat
- Sharp (set theory)
- Sharp (crater), a lunar impact crater
- Sharp (material property)
An organization:
- Sharp Corporation, a Japanese electronics manufacturer
- Sharp Healthcare, a hospital system in San Diego, California
- S.H.A.R.P., Skinheads Against Racial Prejudice
A programming language:
In music:
- S♯arp, a Korean pop music group
- Becky Sharp (band), a Swedish rock band, named for the Vanity Fair character of the same name
- Sharp (album), by Angela Winbush
sharp in German: Sharp (Begriffsklärung)
sharp in French: Sharp
sharp in Korean: 샤프 (동음이의)
sharp in Italian: SHARP
sharp in Georgian: დიეზი
sharp in Japanese: シャープ (曖昧さ回避)
sharp in Russian: Шарп
sharp in Thai: ชาร์ป (แก้ความกำกวม)
sharp in Yiddish: שארף
Synonyms, Antonyms and Related Words
Admirable Crichton, Attic, Machiavellian, Machiavellic, Siberian, V-shaped, Y-shaped,
abrupt, abruptly, absonant, absorbing, accidental, accurately, acerb, acerbate, acerbic, acicular, acid, acidic, acidulent, acidulous, acrid, acrimonious, acuminate, acute, adept, adroit, adventurer, affecting, afflictive, aggressive, agile, agonizing, akimbo, alacritous, alert, alertly, algid, alive, amaroidal, angular, apt, arch, arctic, argute, artful, artisan, artist, asperous, astringent, astute, at the gun, atonal, atrocious, attache, attentive, attentively, austere, authority, awake, bang, bearish, beastly, below zero, bent, betting ring, bettor, biting, bitter, bitter as gall, bitterly
cold, bleak, bluff, blunt, bold, boneshaker, boreal, brainy, brash, braw, breakneck, breve, bright, brilliant, brisk, brumal, brusque, bunco artist, bunco
steerer, cacophonous, cagey, calculating, canny, cardshark, cardsharp, cardsharper, carefully, carpetbagger, caustic, cavalier, cheerless, chic, chiseling, churlish, classy, clever, clothes-conscious,
coarse, cold, cold as charity, cold as
death, cold as ice, cold as marble, collusive, comfortless, compulsive
gambler, con artist, con man, confidence man, connaisseur, connoisseur, consultant, cordon bleu,
cornered, corroding, corrosive, cosmopolitan, covinous, crack shot, cracked, craftsman, crafty, cramping, crap shooter,
creaky, crimp, crisp, crooked, crotched, crotchet, cruel, crusty, cunning, curt, cuspidate, cute, cutting, dapper, dash, dashing, dead shot, deceitful, deep, deep-felt, deep-laid,
deepgoing, demisemiquaver, deplorable, depressing, depressive, designing, dexterous, diaphonic, diplomat, diplomatic, diplomatist, discomforting, disconsonant, discordant, disharmonic, disharmonious, dishonest, dismal, dismaying, dispatchful, dissonant, distressful, distressing, dolorific, dolorogenic, dolorous, dominant, dominant note, double
whole note, double-edged, drastic, dreary, dressed to advantage,
dressed to kill, dressy,
drilling, droll, ear-piercing,
ear-splitting, edge,
edged, eighth note, elder
statesman, elegant,
enharmonic,
enharmonic note, escharotic, exactly, excessive, excruciating, exorbitant, expeditious, experienced
hand, expert, expert
consultant, exquisite,
extravagant,
extreme, facetious, false, falsehearted, fashionable, fast, featheredged, feline, fierce, finagling, fine, flat, fly, forked, foxy, fraudulent, freezing, freezing cold,
frigid, funny, furcal, furcate, furious, furtive, gambler, gamester, gelid, geniculate, geniculated, genteel, gifted, glacial, gnawing, graduate, grating, grave, great, grievous, griping, gruff, guileful, half note, handy man,
hard, harrowing, harsh, hastily, hazarder, headlong, heartfelt, hemidemisemiquaver,
hep, hibernal, hiemal, high, high-pitched, homefelt, hone, hooked, horse coper, horse
trader, hot, howling, humorous, humorsome, hurtful, hurting, hyperborean, ice-cold,
ice-encrusted, icelike,
icy, immelodious, immoderate, impetuously, impulsively, incisive, inclement, inconsiderate, indelible, indirect, ingenious, inharmonic, inharmonious, insidious, intelligent, intemperate, intense, inventive, irritating, jackleg, jagged, jaunty, jesting, jocose, jocular, joking, joky, joshing, journeyman, joyless, keen, keen-edged, keen-witted,
keening, knee-shaped,
knifelike, knowing, lamentable, land pirate, land
shark, land-grabber, like a flash, like a thunderbolt, loud, malicious, malignant, marked, marksman, minim, mordacious, mordant, mortgage shark,
mournful, moving, musical note, musicless, nasty, natty, natural, neat, needle-sharp, nifty, nimble, nimble-witted, nipping, nippy, no dumbbell, no slouch,
nobby, nonmelodious,
nose-piercing, nose-tickling, not born yesterday, note, numbing, observant, odorous, of a sudden, off, off-key, off-tone, on short
notice, on the, on the alert, on the ball, on the button, on the
dot, on the instant, on the job, on the minute, on the nose, on
time, original, out of
pitch, out of tone, out of tune, outrageous, painful, paralyzing, paroxysmal, patent note,
pathetic, pawky, peaked, peaky, penetrating, perceptive, pervading, pettifogger, petty gambler,
piercing, piker, pinching, piping, piquant, pitchman, piteous, pitiable, player, plop, plump, plunger, plunging, plunk, poignant, pointed, poisonous, politic, politician, pop, posh, precipitantly, precipitately, precipitous, precipitously, precisely, pro, professional, professor, proficient, profound, prompt, punctually, pungent, punter, quarter note, quaver, qui vive, quick, quick-thinking,
quick-witted, racking,
rapid, rapier-like,
raucous, raw, razor-edged, ready, recherche, reedy, reeking, regrettable, report, resourceful, responding
note, right, rigorous, ritzy, rough, rueful, sad, saddening, salt, salty, sarcastic, sardonic, savant, saw-toothed, sawtooth, scathing, scheming, scintillating, scorching, screaky, screeching, screechy, semibreve, semiquaver, sensitive, serpentine, serrate, set, severe, shall, shaped note, shark, sharp-cornered,
sharp-sighted, sharp-witted, sharpened, sharper, sharpie, sharply, sheer, shifty, shooting, short, shortchanger, shrewd, shrieking, shrieky, shrill, shyster, sixteenth note,
sixty-fourth note, slap,
sleek, sleepless, sleety, slick, slicker, slippery, slushy, sly, smack, smack-dab, smart, smooth, smug, snaky, snappy, snazzy, sneaky, snippy, soigne, soignee, sophistical, sophisticated, sore, sorrowful, sour, spang, sparkling, spasmatic, spasmic, spasmodic, speculator, speedy, spiccato, spicy, spieler, spiffy, spiteful, splitting, sport, sporting man, sportsman, sprightly, spruce, spry, square, squarely, squeaking, squeaky, stabbing, staccato, startlingly, statesman, stealthy, steel-trap, steep, stinging, stone-cold, strategic, strict, strident, stringent, strong, strong-scented,
strong-smelling, style-conscious, stylish, subtile, subtle, subzero, sudden, suddenly, suffocating, supercooled, supple, surly, surprisingly, surreptitious, sustained
note, swank, swanky, swell, swift, swish, tactical, talented, tangy, tart, technical adviser, technician, tercet, thin, thirty-second note, thoughtless, tinhorn, tipster, to the minute, tone, tony, tormenting, torturous, touching, tough, tout, treacherous, treble, trenchant, trendy, trickish, tricksy, tricky, trig, trim, triplet, truculent, tuneless, two-edged, two-faced,
ululant, unawares, unblinking, unceremonious, uncomfortable, unconscionable, underhand, underhanded, unethical, unexpectedly, ungracious, unharmonious, unkind, unmelodious, unmusical, unnodding, unscrupulous, unsleeping, untunable, untuned, untuneful, unwinking, vehement, venomous, venturer, vertical, violent, virulent, vitriolic, vivid, vulpine, wagerer, wailing, wakeful, wary, well-dressed, well-groomed,
whet, whimsical, whining, whistling, whole note,
wide-awake, wily, winterbound, winterlike, wintery, wintry, withering, without notice,
without warning, witty,
woebegone, woeful, wretched, zigzag