subacute

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adjective

Longer in duration than acute but shorter in duration than chronic.

Similar
acute
OriginEnglish acute ← Latin sub- ← Proto-Italic *supo →
Less commonScrabble 12
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Meanings

adjectivesubacute (comparative more subacute, superlative most subacute)

comparative more subacute · superlative most subacute

  1. Less than acute.
    1. usuallymedicineLonger in duration than acute but shorter in duration than chronic.
    2. oftengeneral vocabularymedicineLesser in severity than acute.
  2. biologyHaving a pointed tip, but with a broad (obtuse) or slightly rounded angle
nounsubacute (plural subacutes)

plural subacutes

  1. datedmedicineA patient whose condition is less than acute.

Synonyms & antonyms

adjectiveless than acute; relating to a disease present in a person with no symptoms of it

Similar
acute
Also see
acute

Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.

Origin

  1. Proto-Indo-European*upó
  2. Proto-Italic*supo
  3. Latinsub
  4. Latinsub-
  5. Englishsub-
  6. Englishacute
  7. Englishsubacute

From sub- + acute.

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Italian subacuto
  • subacutoless than acute
Japanese 亜急性の
  • 亜急性の (akyūsei no)less than acute
Russian подострый
  • подострый (podostryj)less than acute
Vietnamese bán phụ, á cấp
  • bán phụless than acute
  • á cấpless than acute
Cite this entry
APA

subacute. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/subacute

MLA

“subacute.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/subacute. Accessed November 2, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “subacute,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/subacute.

Source: subacute on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.