sharply B2 Topic:Numbers & Quantity US /ˈʃɑɹpli/ UK /ˈʃɑːpli/ See IPA manual Freq #6561 Meanings 1 adv Suddenly and by a large amount. Prices rose sharply over the winter. 2 adv In a severe or critical way. She spoke sharply to the children when they misbehaved. 3 adv Clearly and distinctly. The mountains stood sharply against the evening sky. Thesaurus Synonyms 1 adv · suddenly and by a large... acutely 2 adv · in a severe or critical way. aggressively 3 adv · clearly and distinctly. crisply Etymology AI details From Middle English sharply, scharply, from Old English sċearplīċe (“sharply, smartly”), equivalent to sharp + -ly. sharply Middle English sċearplīċe Old English View etymology graph -> Topics Numbers & Quantity External links Cambridge Dictionary Wiktionary Google Images # sharply **Type:** Word **Level:** B2 **Part of speech:** adv **IPA (US):** /ˈʃɑɹpli/ **IPA (UK):** /ˈʃɑːpli/ **Frequency rank:** 6561 ## Meanings 1. Suddenly and by a large amount. 2. In a severe or critical way. 3. Clearly and distinctly. ## Examples - Prices rose sharply over the winter. - She spoke sharply to the children when they misbehaved. - The mountains stood sharply against the evening sky. ## Roots and Affixes - Root: sharply - Root: sċearplīċe ## Etymology From Middle English sharply, scharply, from Old English sċearplīċe (“sharply, smartly”), equivalent to sharp + -ly. ## AI Etymology Sharply is from Middle English sharply, scharply, from Old English sċearplīċe (“sharply, smartly”), equivalent to sharp + -ly. Important forms in the word's history include Middle English sharply, Old English sċearplīċe. In current use it includes senses such as Suddenly and by a large amount and In a severe or critical way. ## Topics - Numbers & Quantity markdown