sharp
[adjective]
Synonyms:
- keen, acute, jagged, pointed, serrated, spiky
- sudden, abrupt, distinct, extreme, marked
- clear, crisp, distinct, well-defined
- quick-witted, alert, astute, bright, clever, discerning, knowing, penetrating, perceptive, quick
- dishonest, artful, crafty, cunning, sly, unscrupulous, wily
- cutting, barbed, biting, bitter, caustic, harsh, hurtful
- sour, acid, acrid, hot, piquant, pungent, tart
- acute, intense, painful, piercing, severe, shooting, stabbing
[adverb]
Synonyms:
- promptly, exactly, on the dot, on time, precisely, punctually

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Antonyms: blunt, dull
Contrasted words: blunted, dulled, unsharpened, dull-witted, unintelligent, foolish, simple, slow, stupid
Related Idioms: sharp as a razor blade, sharp as a knife (or tack), nobody's fool
Related Words: acute, alert, bright, clever, cute, ingenious, original, resourceful, fast, quick, adroit, nimble, sly, unethical, acrimonious, biting, double-edged, incisive, penetrating, piercing, stabbing, stinging, caustic, virulent, vitriolic, intense, severe, smart, drilling, agonizing, excruciating, paralyzing, odorous, strong-scented, strong-smelling, suffocating

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English Thesaurus: bitter, sharp, sour, acidic, tangy, ...

[TahlilGaran] English Synonym Dictionary ▲

I. Sharp trademark
a brand (=type) of electronic products, that includes televisions, STEREO SYSTEMs, and DVD PLAYERs, made by the Japanese company Sharp

[TahlilGaran] Dictionary of Contemporary English ▲

II. Sharp, Beck‧y /ˈbeki/
the main character in the book Vanity Fair(1847–48) by William Thackeray. She is a clever, attractive, and ambitious young woman (=someone who wants very much to become rich and successful), who treats people cruelly and unfairly to get what she wants.

[TahlilGaran] Dictionary of Contemporary English ▲

III. Sharp, Ce‧cil /ˈsesəl, ˈsesɪl/
(1859–1924) an English folk musician. He started the English Folk Dance Society in 1911 and is famous for having saved a great deal of folk music from being forgotten.

[TahlilGaran] Dictionary of Contemporary English ▲

I. sharp¹ S3 W2 /ʃɑːp $ ʃɑːrp/ adjective (comparative sharper, superlative sharpest)
[Word Family: noun: sharpener, sharpness, sharp; adverb: sharp, sharply, sharpish; verb: sharpen; adjective: sharp]
[Language: Old English; Origin: scearp]

1. ABLE TO CUT EASILY having a very thin edge or point that can cut things easily Antonym : blunt:
Make sure you use a good sharp knife.
Its teeth are razor sharp (=very sharp).

2. TURN a sharp turn or bend changes direction suddenly:
We came to a sharp bend in the road.
sharp left/right
Take a sharp left after the church.

3. INCREASE/CHANGE a sharp increase, rise, fall etc happens suddenly and is great in amount Synonym : steep:
a sharp increase in prices
a sharp fall in unemployment

4. DIFFERENCE sharp differences are very big and very noticeable:
sharp differences of opinion
There is a sharp distinction between domestic and international politics.
His honesty is in sharp contrast to (=very different from) some other politicians.

5. PAIN/FEELINGS a sharp pain or feeling is sudden and severe Antonym : dull:
I felt a sharp pain in my back.
I was left with a sharp sense of disappointment.

6. DISAPPROVING speaking in a way that shows you disapprove of something or are annoyed Antonym : mild:
a sharp rebuke
John’s tone was sharp.
The boss can be very sharp with people when she’s busy.
somebody has a sharp tongue (=they speak in a very disapproving way which often upsets people)

7. INTELLIGENT able to think and understand things very quickly, and not easily deceived Antonym : dull, stupid:
a journalist with an extremely sharp mind

8. keep a sharp eye on somebody to watch someone very carefully, especially because you do not trust them:
Keep a sharp eye on the kids at all times!

9. PENCIL having a very thin point that can draw an exact line Antonym : blunt:
Make sure your pencils are sharp before we begin the test.

10. SOUND a sharp sound or cry is loud, short, and sudden:
a sharp cry of pain
a sharp intake of breath

11. TASTE having a slightly bitter taste Antonym : mild:
sharp cheddar cheese
Add mustard to give the dressing a sharper taste.

12. CLOTHES attractive and fashionable Synonym : smart British English:
Tod looked really sharp in his tux.
a sharp suit

13. SHAPE not rounded or curved:
sharp features
Her mother had a sharp little nose.

14. IMAGE/PICTURE if an image or picture is sharp, you can see all the details very clearly Antonym : fuzzy:
The outlines of the trees were sharp and clear.

15. GOOD AT NOTICING THINGS able to see and notice details very well
a sharp eye for detail (=the ability to notice and deal with details)

16. MUSIC
a) F sharp/D sharp/C sharp etc a musical note that is sharp has been raised by one semitone from the note F, D, C etc
b) if music or singing is sharp, it is played or sung at a slightly higher pitch than it should be ⇒ flat¹(9), natural¹(10)

17. WEATHER sharp wind/frost a very cold wind or a severe frost:
A sharp wind blew across the lake.

18. sharp practice British English behaviour, especially in business, that is dishonest but not illegal:
He’s been guilty of sharp practice in the past.

19. be on the sharp end (of something) British English informal to experience the worst effects of something:
We were always on the sharp end of clients’ complaints.
—sharpness noun [uncountable]
⇒ sharply

[TahlilGaran] Dictionary of Contemporary English ▲

II. sharp² adverb
[Word Family: noun: sharpener, sharpness, sharp; adverb: sharp, sharply, sharpish; verb: sharpen; adjective: sharp]

1. at ten thirty/2 o'clock etc sharp at exactly 10.30, 2.00 etc:
We’re meeting at one thirty sharp.

2. sharp left/right British English if you turn sharp left or right, you make a sudden change of direction to the left or right:
You turn sharp right at the crossroads.

3. look sharp British English old-fashioned used to tell someone to do something quickly:
If you look sharp, you might catch him before he leaves for London.

4. played or sung at a slightly higher pitch than is correct ⇒ flat

[TahlilGaran] Dictionary of Contemporary English ▲

III. sharp³ noun [countable]
[Word Family: noun: sharpener, sharpness, sharp; adverb: sharp, sharply, sharpish; verb: sharpen; adjective: sharp]

1. a musical note that has been raised one semitone above the note written

2. the sign (#) in a line of written music, used to show that a musical note should be raised
⇒ flat²(3)

[TahlilGaran] Dictionary of Contemporary English ▲

sharp
adj.
I. having a fine edge or point
VERBS be, feel, look, seem | stay | keep sth
ADV. extremely, really, very, wickedly a display of wickedly sharp teeth
pretty, quite, rather
PHRASES as sharp as a razor

[TahlilGaran] Collocations Dictionary ▲

sharp
II. very great or sudden
VERBS be
ADV. particularly, very | fairly, quite, rather a fairly sharp rise in the cost of living

[TahlilGaran] Collocations Dictionary ▲

sharp
III. able to think/act/understand/see/hear quickly
VERBS be, seem
ADV. extremely, razor, very a razor sharp mind
pretty, quite

[TahlilGaran] Collocations Dictionary ▲

sharp
IV. angry/severe
VERBS be, sound Her voice sounded rather sharp.
ADV. very | a bit, quite, rather | suddenly ‘Stick to the facts, ’ said Romanov, his voice suddenly sharp.
PREP. with She was quite sharp with me when I talked during her lecture.

[TahlilGaran] Collocations Dictionary ▲

sharp
V. flavour
VERBS be
ADV. extremely, very Raw cranberries are extremely sharp and must always be cooked with a little sugar.
slightly This cheese has a slightly sharp flavour.

[TahlilGaran] Collocations Dictionary ▲

bitter having a strong sharp taste that is not sweet, like black coffee without sugar - used especially about chocolate, medicine etc:
The dessert is made with a slightly bitter chocolate.
Hops give beer its distinctive bitter taste.
The medicine tasted bitter.
As the lettuce gets older, the leaves become more bitter.
sharp having a taste that makes your tongue sting slightly:
Rhubarb has quite a sharp taste.
The cheese has a pleasing colour and a pleasantly sharp flavour.
sour having a usually unpleasant sharp acid taste, like the taste of a lemon, or a fruit that is not ready to be eaten – used especially about fruit, or about liquids that have gone bad:
Some people say that the purpose of the lemon’s sour taste is to stop the fruit being eaten by animals.
Rachel sampled the wine. It was sour.
acidic very sour – used especially about liquids or things made with fruits such as oranges, lemons, or grapes:
Some fruit juices taste a bit acidic.
tangy having a taste that is pleasantly strong or sharp, and that often tastes a little sweet as well:
The ribs are cooked in a tangy barbecue sauce.
tart having a taste that lacks sweetness – used especially about fruit such as apples, which you need to add sugar to:
The pudding had rather a tart flavour.
The trees were covered with tart wild plums.
spoil to have a bad effect on something so that it is much less attractive, enjoyable etc:
New housing developments are spoiling the countryside.
The bad weather completely spoiled our holiday.
ruin to spoil something completely and permanently:
Using harsh soap to wash your face can ruin your skin.
The argument ruined the evening for me.
mar written to spoil something by making it less attractive or enjoyable:
His handsome Arab features were marred by a long scar across his face.
Outbreaks of fighting marred the New Year celebrations.
detract from something to slightly spoil something that is generally very good, beautiful, or impressive:
The huge number of tourists rather detracts from the city’s appeal.
There were a few minor irritations, but this did not detract from our enjoyment of the holiday.
undermine to spoil something that you have been trying to achieve:
The bombings undermined several months of careful negotiations.
poison to spoil a close relationship completely, so that people can no longer trust each other:
Their marriage was poisoned by a terrible dark secret.
mess something up informal to spoil something important or something that has been carefully planned:
If there’s any delay, it will mess up our whole schedule.

[TahlilGaran] English Thesaurus ▲

delicious having a very good taste:
This cake is delicious!
a delicious meal
disgusting/revolting having a very bad taste:
The medicine tasted disgusting.
They had to eat revolting things, like fish eyes.
sweet tasting full of sugar:
The oranges were very sweet.
tasty especially spoken tasting good and with plenty of flavour:
She cooked us a simple but tasty meal.
That was really tasty!
sour/tart having a taste that stings your tongue slightly, like lemon does – used especially when this is rather unpleasant:
The apples were a little sour.
The wine has rather a tart taste, which not everyone will like.
tangy having a taste that stings your tongue slightly, like lemon does, in a way that seems good:
The dressing was nice and tangy.
bitter having a strong taste which is not sweet and is sometimes rather unpleasant – used for example about black coffee, or chocolate without sugar:
bitter chocolate
The medicine had rather a bitter taste.
Hops give beer its distinctive bitter taste.
salty containing a lot of salt:
Danish salami has a salty flavour.
hot/spicy having a burning taste because it contains strong spices:
I love hot curries.
a spicy tomato sauce
piquant /ˈpiːkənt/ formal a little spicy – used especially by people who write about food. This word can sound rather pretentious in everyday conversation:
cooked vegetables in a piquant sauce
mild not having a strong or hot taste – usually used about foods that can sometimes be spicy:
a mild curry
bland not having an interesting taste:
I found the sauce rather bland.
sharp having a taste that makes your tongue sting slightly:
Rhubarb has quite a sharp taste.
The cheese has a pleasing colour and a pleasantly sharp flavour.
sour having a usually unpleasant sharp acid taste, like the taste of a lemon, or a fruit that is not ready to be eaten – used especially about fruit, or about liquids that have gone bad:
Some people say that the purpose of the lemon’s sour taste is to stop the fruit being eaten by animals.
Rachel sampled the wine. It was sour.
acidic very sour – used especially about liquids or things made with fruits such as oranges, lemons, or grapes:
Some fruit juices taste a bit acidic.
tart having a taste that lacks sweetness – used especially about fruit such as apples, which you need to add sugar to:
The pudding had rather a tart flavour.
The trees were covered with tart wild plums.

[TahlilGaran] English Thesaurus ▲

sharp having a very thin edge or point that can cut things easily:
a sharp knife
The dog’s teeth were very sharp.
Be careful. That knife’s very sharp.
You’ll need some sharp scissors.
Puppies mean to be playful, but their sharp teeth can give you a nasty bite.
jagged having an irregular edge with a lot of sharp points:
a jagged rock
The floor was covered with jagged pieces of glass.
spiky having a lot of thin sharp points:
a spiky cactus plant
The hedgehog uses its spiky fur for protection.
Some corals are quite smooth, others are sharp and spiky.
prickly covered in a lot of small sharp points – used mainly about plants:
a prickly bush
prickly leaves
The hedge was all prickly.
serrated a serrated edge on a saw or knife has a lot of sharp points on it:
It’s best to use a knife with a serrated edge.
razor-sharp extremely sharp:
The cat had razor-sharp claws.
blunt not sharp – used about tools, weapons, or pencils:
All the kitchen knives were blunt.
a blunt pencil
The woman had been attacked with a blunt instrument.

[TahlilGaran] English Thesaurus ▲

sharp
ʃɑ:p
See: look sharp

[TahlilGaran] English Idioms Dictionary ▲