sharpness C2+ Topic:Describing Qualities US /ˈʃɑrpnəs/ UK /ˈʃɑːpnəs/ See IPA manual Meanings 1 noun the quality of having a keen edge, point, or acuteness The sharpness of the blade let it slice the paper effortlessly. Thesaurus Synonyms 1 noun · the quality of having a... keennessacutenessacuityincisivenessedgeclarity ↔ Opposites bluntnessdullnessvagueness Word family Related forms sharpsharpen Etymology AI details From sharp plus the noun-forming suffix -ness; sharp is from Old English scearp ('having a cutting edge'), from Proto-Germanic *skarpaz. scearp Old English *skarpaz Proto-Germanic View etymology graph -> Topics Describing Qualities Word Formation & Derivatives External links Cambridge Dictionary Wiktionary Google Images # sharpness **Type:** Word **Level:** C2+ **Part of speech:** noun **IPA (US):** /ˈʃɑrpnəs/ **IPA (UK):** /ˈʃɑːpnəs/ ## Meanings 1. the quality of having a keen edge, point, or acuteness ## Examples - The sharpness of the blade let it slice the paper effortlessly. ## Synonyms - keenness - acuteness - acuity - incisiveness - edge - clarity ## Antonyms - bluntness - dullness - vagueness ## Related Forms - sharp - sharpen ## Roots and Affixes - Root: scearp - Root: *skarpaz ## Etymology From sharp plus the noun-forming suffix -ness; sharp is from Old English scearp ('having a cutting edge'), from Proto-Germanic *skarpaz. ## AI Etymology Sharpness comes from sharp plus the noun-forming suffix -ness; sharp is from Old English scearp ('having a cutting edge'), from Proto-Germanic *skarpaz. The historical chain includes Old English scearp and Proto-Germanic *skarpaz. Older glosses in the chain include "having a cutting edge", which help explain the semantic range of the modern word. Morphologically, sharpness is best read as suffixal formation and borrowing, yielding an English noun shaped by both form history and later usage. In current English it functions as a noun, with the sense "the quality of having a keen edge, point, or acuteness". related forms include sharp and sharpen. The result is an English noun whose etymology preserves the older forms while supporting the word's specialized modern meaning. ## Topics - Describing Qualities - Word Formation & Derivatives markdown