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SHARPNESS
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I. (noun)
Sense 1
Meaning:
Harshness of manner
Synonyms:
asperity; sharpness
Classified under:
Nouns denoting attributes of people and objects
Hypernyms ("sharpness" is a kind of...):
ill nature (a disagreeable, irritable, or malevolent disposition)
Antonym:
dullness (without sharpness or clearness of edge or point)
Derivation:
sharp (harsh)
Sense 2
Meaning:
The quality of being sharp and clear
Synonyms:
distinctness; sharpness
Classified under:
Nouns denoting attributes of people and objects
Hypernyms ("sharpness" is a kind of...):
clarity; clearness; uncloudedness (the quality of clear water)
Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "sharpness"):
definition (clarity of outline)
discernability; legibility (distinctness that makes perception easy)
focus (maximum clarity or distinctness of an image rendered by an optical system)
Antonym:
softness (the quality of being indistinct and without sharp outlines)
Derivation:
sharp ((of something seen or heard) clearly defined)
Sense 3
Meaning:
Thinness of edge or fineness of point
Synonyms:
keenness; sharpness
Classified under:
Nouns denoting attributes of people and objects
Hypernyms ("sharpness" is a kind of...):
configuration; conformation; contour; form; shape (any spatial attributes (especially as defined by outline))
Attribute:
sharp (having or made by a thin edge or sharp point; suitable for cutting or piercing)
Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "sharpness"):
acuteness (the quality of having a sharp edge or point)
Antonym:
dullness (without sharpness or clearness of edge or point)
Derivation:
sharp (having or made by a thin edge or sharp point; suitable for cutting or piercing)
sharp (ending in a sharp point)
Sense 4
Meaning:
The quality of being keenly and painfully felt
Example:
the sharpness of her loss
Classified under:
Nouns denoting attributes of people and objects
Hypernyms ("sharpness" is a kind of...):
distressingness; painfulness (the quality of being painful)
Derivation:
sharp (keenly and painfully felt; as if caused by a sharp edge or point)
sharp (quick and forceful)
Sense 5
Meaning:
A strong odor or taste property
Example:
the raciness of the wine
Synonyms:
bite; pungency; raciness; sharpness
Classified under:
Nouns denoting attributes of people and objects
Hypernyms ("sharpness" is a kind of...):
spice; spicery; spiciness (the property of being seasoned with spice and so highly flavored)
Sense 6
Meaning:
The attribute of urgency in tone of voice
Example:
his voice had an edge to it
Synonyms:
edge; sharpness
Classified under:
Nouns denoting attributes of people and objects
Hypernyms ("sharpness" is a kind of...):
urgency (pressing importance requiring speedy action)
Sense 7
Meaning:
A quick and penetrating intelligence
Example:
I admired the keenness of his mind
Synonyms:
acuity; acuteness; keenness; sharpness
Classified under:
Nouns denoting cognitive processes and contents
Hypernyms ("sharpness" is a kind of...):
intelligence (the ability to comprehend; to understand and profit from experience)
Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "sharpness"):
steel trap (an acute intelligence (an analogy based on the well-known sharpness of steel traps))
Derivation:
sharp (marked by practical hardheaded intelligence)
sharp (having or demonstrating ability to recognize or draw fine distinctions)
Context examples:
And, to show the sharpness of their sight towards objects that are near, I have been much pleased with observing a cook pulling a lark, which was not so large as a common fly; and a young girl threading an invisible needle with invisible silk.
(Gulliver's Travels into several remote nations of the world, by Jonathan Swift)
He knew not what could be the use of those several clefts and divisions in my feet behind; that these were too soft to bear the hardness and sharpness of stones, without a covering made from the skin of some other brute; that my whole body wanted a fence against heat and cold, which I was forced to put on and off every day, with tediousness and trouble: and lastly, that he observed every animal in this country naturally to abhor the Yahoos, whom the weaker avoided, and the stronger drove from them.
(Gulliver's Travels into several remote nations of the world, by Jonathan Swift)
