Acuity

sharpness; acuteness; keenness:
acuity of vision; acuity of mind.
contemporary examples

his remarkable memory has lost its acuity, and he tires easily.
nelson mandela recovering in south africa after brief hospital scare charlene smith february 26, 2012

the unblinking electronic eye was an extension of his own reflexes and acuity—when the red light went on, all else was excluded.
‘a fiery tribune’ clive irving august 31, 2013

historical examples

the portraits of certain artists in this unique volume recite the history of the critic’s acuity and clairvoyance.
unicorns james huneker

the doctor must correct, as far as possible, the want of acuity noticed.
mentally defective children alfred binet

when they struck the water there was a hiss, which grew in volume and acuity as they skimmed the waves.
riviera towns herbert adams gibbons

despite the breadth and acuity of his observations, granger suggested remarkedly few changes.
integration of the armed forces, 1940-1965 morris j. macgregor, jr.

the acuity of hearing was no longer so pr-nounced and the sense of refreshment, although still present, was not intense.
the blue germ martin swayne

one cannot imagine the degree of sharpness, of acuity, which may be obtained during sleep by these interior sensations.
dreams henri bergson

careful investigation of olfactory acuteness would reveal the existence of such menstrual heightening of its acuity.
studies in the psychology of s-x, volume 4 (of 6) havelock ellis

noun
keenness or acuteness, esp in vision or thought
the capacity of the eye to see fine detail, measured by determining the finest detail that can just be detected
n.

early 15c., from middle french acuité (16c.) or directly from medieval latin acuitatem (nominative acuitas) “sharpness,” from latin acuere “to sharpen,” related to acus “needle,” acuere “to sharpen,” from pie root -ak- “rise to a point, be sharp” (see acrid).

acuity a·cu·i·ty (ə-kyōō’ĭ-tē)
n.
sharpness, clearness, and distinctness of perception or vision.