sharpness

See also: Sharpness

English

Etymology

From Middle English sharpnesse, scharpnesse, from Old English sċearpnes (“sharpness”), equivalent to sharp +‎ -ness.

Noun

sharpness (countable and uncountable, plural sharpnesses)

1. (uncountable) the cutting ability of an edge; keenness
2. (uncountable) the fineness of the point a pointed object
3. (countable) The product or result of being sharp.
4. (of food etc) pungency or acidity
5. (of an image) distinctness, focus
6. (of intelligence) acuteness or acuity
   • 2012 June 19, Phil McNulty, “England 1-0 Ukraine”, in BBC Sport‎^[1]:

     A lack of match sharpness was perhaps to blame for Rooney squandering England's best chance after 27 minutes.

7. (obsolete) edge or blade
   • 1760, John Marchant, Gent. Mr. Gordon, Daniel Bellamy, and others., A New Complete English Dictionary...‎^[2]:

     CUT-WATER, or KNEE OF THE HEAD [S.] the ſharpneſs of the head of the ſhip, below the beak;

   • ca. 1395, John Wycliffe et al., Joshua 6:21‎^[3]:

     also thei smytiden bi the scharpnesse of swerd, oxun, and scheep, and assis.

Synonyms

• (cutting ability of an edge): keenness
• (fineness of a point):
• (pungency, acidity): acidity, acridity, piquancy, pungency, sourness
• (of an image): clarity, distinctness, focus
• (of intelligence): acuteness, acuity

Translations

cutting ability of an edge

• Assamese: ধাৰ (dhar)
• Catalan: agudesa (ca) f
• Dutch: scherpheid (nl) f
• Esperanto: akro, akreco
• French: tranchant (fr) m
• German: Schärfe (de)
• Greek:

  Ancient: ὀξύτης f (oxútēs)

• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Irish: aichre f (literary)
• Latin: aciēs (la) f
• Norwegian:

  Bokmål: skarphet m or f

• Spanish: agudeza (es)
• Telugu: పదును (te) (padunu)

fineness of a point

• Dutch: gescherptheid f, scherpte (nl) f
• Esperanto: akro, akreco
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• French: finesse (fr) f, acuité (fr) f

pungency, acidity

• Dutch: scherpte (nl) f
• Esperanto: akro, akreco, acideco (eo)
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• French: acidité (fr) f

of an image

• Dutch: scherpte (nl) f
• French: netteté (fr) f
• Norwegian:

  Bokmål: skarphet m or f

• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Vietnamese: độ nét

of intelligence

• French: acuité (fr) f, tranchant (fr) m
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Greek:

  Ancient: ὀξύτης f (oxútēs)

• Irish: ^{(please verify)} amhainse f
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}

See also

• (of an image): acutance