What's the difference between acute and witless?

Acute


Definition:

  • (a.) Sharp at the end; ending in a sharp point; pointed; -- opposed to blunt or obtuse; as, an acute angle; an acute leaf.
  • (a.) Having nice discernment; perceiving or using minute distinctions; penetrating; clever; shrewd; -- opposed to dull or stupid; as, an acute observer; acute remarks, or reasoning.
  • (a.) Having nice or quick sensibility; susceptible to slight impressions; acting keenly on the senses; sharp; keen; intense; as, a man of acute eyesight, hearing, or feeling; acute pain or pleasure.
  • (a.) High, or shrill, in respect to some other sound; -- opposed to grave or low; as, an acute tone or accent.
  • (a.) Attended with symptoms of some degree of severity, and coming speedily to a crisis; -- opposed to chronic; as, an acute disease.
  • (v. t.) To give an acute sound to; as, he acutes his rising inflection too much.

Example Sentences:

  • (1) In January 2011, the Nobel peace prize laureate was admitted to a Johannesburg hospital for what officials initially described as tests but what turned out to be an acute respiratory infection .
  • (2) It is concluded that acute renal denervation augments the pressure diuresis that follows carotid occlusion.
  • (3) Ethanol and L-ethionine induce acute steatosis without necrosis, whereas azaserine, carbon tetrachloride, and D-galactosamine are known to produce steatosis with varying degrees of hepatic necrosis.
  • (4) IgE-mediated acute systemic reactions to penicillin continue to be an important clinical problem.
  • (5) The cumulative incidence of grade II and III acute GVHD in the 'low dose' cyclosporin group was 42% compared to 51% in the 'standard dose' group (P = 0.60).
  • (6) A 66-year-old woman with acute idiopathic polyneuritis (Landry-Guillain-Barré [LGB] syndrome) had normal extraocular movements, but her pupils did not react to light or accommodation.
  • (7) After a period on fat-rich diet the patient's physical fitness was increased and the recovery period after the acute load was shorter.
  • (8) It was concluded that metoclopramide and dexamethasone showed an excellent antiemetic effect on acute drug-induced emesis, as well as on delayed emesis, induced by cisplatin.
  • (9) The results suggest that RPE cannot be used reliably as a surrogate for direct pulse measurement in exercise training of persons with acute dysvascular amputations.
  • (10) Statistically significant differences were found mainly in the randomized trial, where during the first and second years, respectively, adenoidectomy subjects had 47% and 37% less time with otitis media than control subjects and 28% and 35% fewer suppurative (acute) episodes than control subjects.
  • (11) Tumour necrosis factor (TNF), a polypeptide produced by mononuclear phagocytes, has been implicated as an important mediator of inflammatory processes and of clinical manifestations in acute infectious diseases.
  • (12) During the procedure, acute respiratory failure developed as a result of tracheal obstruction.
  • (13) Four patients with acute brucellosis are described, none of whom had any connexion with farming or milk industry, the source of infection being different in each case.
  • (14) The leukemic T-cells in two patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) had specific features of large granular lymphocytes (LGL), and those in two patients with acute lymphocytic leukemia (ALL) had L2 morphologic characteristics.
  • (15) The acute effect of alcohol manifested itself by decreasing mitochondrial respiration, compensated by increased glycolytic activity of the myocardium so that myocardial energy phosphate concentration remained unchanged.
  • (16) The introduction of intravenous, high-dose thrombolytic therapy during a brief period has markedly reduced mortality of patients with acute myocardial infarction.
  • (17) The younger patients more often experienced an acute arthritis with sacroiliitis resembling a reactive disease.
  • (18) All five individuals appeared to have acute C. pneumoniae infection as determined by results of serologic tests (titers of IgM antibody for all individuals were greater than or equal to 1:16).
  • (19) The results clearly show that the acute hyperthermia of unrestrained rats induced by either peripheral or central injections of morphine is not caused by activation of the pituitary-adrenal axis.
  • (20) The effect of hypertension, hyperlipidemia, and the combination of both on acute and chronic myocardial ischemia were evaluated in a total of 30 male rabbits.

Witless


Definition:

  • (a.) Destitute of wit or understanding; wanting thought; hence, indiscreet; not under the guidance of judgment.

Example Sentences:

  • (1) He ends the song with something that is ostensibly scat but sounds like an old man being scared witless by a spider.
  • (2) "But she also divides the critics like that other old-school oddball, Norman Wisdom, who was written off as a witless, irritating idiot with a penchant for falling over by some, and seen as a comic genius by others."
  • (3) More often than not it's passed around at the back for a while, then eventually hoofed witlessly up one of the flanks, where any slim chance of creating bother is immediately lost.
  • (4) In the end Chelsea needed help to secure the win – and, not for the first time this season, Redknapp’s men came to their opponent’s aid, Vargas giving away a penalty with a witless shunt on Hazard in the 75th minute.
  • (5) The witless grandstanding by local MP Greg Mulholland in his call for NHS England medical director Sir Bruce Keogh to resign is precisely the sort of intervention that is least helpful.
  • (6) It is six years, after all, since 2009, the year in which the comedian’s blossoming career and reputation took an abrupt and savage hit, thanks to his unloved eponymous sketch show with Gavin & Stacey co-star Mathew Horne (“ puerile and excruciating ”, according to the New Statesman), a critically mauled movie, Lesbian Vampire Killers (“a witless mess”, said the Telegraph), and a calamitous performance hosting the Brit awards with Horne, which even Corden has acknowledged was “shit, because of ego”.
  • (7) Oh come on, you say: no leading politician would be as witless as to do that.
  • (8) In a fascinating experiment at the University of Limerick a few years ago, participants were first bored witless by being made to do a repetitive task and then asked to suggest punishments for an imaginary Englishman convicted of beating up an Irishman.
  • (9) David Cameron and his cabinet currently tell me to be scared witless by Ebola, an attack from Isis, a resurgent Russia and global warming (sometimes).
  • (10) He slips the ball forward to Whittaker, but with dark blue shirts in the box, the full back blooters a witless effort miles over the bar from a silly distance.
  • (11) Cameron's critical failure to close a deal with Clegg on 25 extra Tory seats, coupled with his witless aid to Ukip, makes a Labour return to power more likely.
  • (12) Liverpool reached Wembley the way their journey in the Capital One Cup had begun against Carlisle United; requiring penalties to save them from a witless, careless performance that only improved once the Wales midfielder replaced Kolo Touré in the 85th minute.
  • (13) And the truth is, most of them were never in a recording studio again (2007) ON STEPHEN GATELY BEING GAY I had no idea… on my mother's life (2008) ON USING A "BANG" (BAND AUTOMATIC NAME GENERATOR) Some of the suggestions I got were Perky Gravy, Silk Radius, Witless and Curly Spam (2007) ON THE BEST THING ABOUT THE X FACTOR It's real, everything is real, nothing is staged (2007) ON GIRL BANDS There's a common perception that behind the scenes it's all catfights and screaming rows.
  • (14) Farron described abolition of the 50p rate as "morally repugnant" and "economically witless".
  • (15) Not surprisingly, the Russell Group is delighted, the National Union of Students is apoplectic and the Lib Dems are scared witless.
  • (16) Perhaps failing to reach the Champions League is a mercy: there is no telling what top-drawer continental opposition would do to this bloodless, witless Celtic team.
  • (17) No, when you're looking after what is in effect a witless midget with a death wish, some things go out of the window, including dressing yourself.
  • (18) ML BBC2 Facebook Twitter Pinterest Glue Those keen to write off all homegrown E4 dramas as witless Skins knock-offs would do well to check out Glue.
  • (19) Now it has, and markets are scared witless as a result.
  • (20) They are dark, unseen enemies, come from far away – and they are scaring us witless.