different between sharp vs perfect

English

Etymology

From Middle English scharp, from Old English s?earp, from Proto-Germanic *skarpaz, from Proto-Indo-European *(s)kerb-. Cognate with West Frisian skerp, Low German scharp, Dutch scherp, German scharf, Danish skarp. Compare Irish cearb (“keen; cutting”), Latin acerbus (“tart, bitter”), Tocharian B kärpye (“rough”), Latvian skârbs (“sharp, rough”), Russian ????? (š?erba, “notch”), Polish szczerba (“gap, dent, jag, chip, nick, notch”), Albanian harb (“rudeness”), from *(s)ker- (“to cut”). More at shear.

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /???p/
• (General American) IPA^(key): /???p/
• Rhymes: -??(?)p

Adjective

sharp (comparative sharper, superlative sharpest)

1. Terminating in a point or edge, especially one that can cut easily; not obtuse or rounded.

2. (colloquial) Intelligent.
3. (music) Higher than usual by one semitone (denoted by the symbol ? after the name of the note).
4. (music) Higher in pitch than required.

5. Having an intense, acrid flavour.

6. Sudden and intense.

   • She wakened in sharp panic, bewildered by the grotesquerie of some half-remembered dream in contrast with the harshness of inclement fact.

7. (colloquial) Illegal or dishonest.

8. (colloquial) Keenly or unduly attentive to one's own interests; shrewd.
9. Exact, precise, accurate; keen.
11. Offensive, critical, or acrimonious.

12. (colloquial) Stylish or attractive.

13. Observant; alert; acute.

14. Forming a small angle; especially, forming an angle of less than ninety degrees.
    • 1900, Charles W. Chesnutt, The House Behind the Cedars, Chapter I,

      The street down which Warwick had come intersected Front Street at a sharp angle in front of the old hotel, forming a sort of flatiron block at the junction, known as Liberty Point

15. Steep; precipitous; abrupt.

16. (mathematics, of a statement) Said of as extreme a value as possible.

17. (chess) Tactical; risky.
    • 1963, Max Euwe, Chess Master Vs. Chess Amateur (page xviii)

      Time and time again, the amateur player has lost the opportunity to make the really best move because he felt bound to follow some chess "rule" he had learned, rather than to make the sharp move which was indicated by the position.

    • 1975, Lud?k Pachman, Decisive Games in Chess History (page 64)

      In such situations most chess players choose the obvious and logical way: they go in for sharp play. However, not everyone is a natural attacking player […]

18. Piercing; keen; severe; painful.
19. Eager or keen in pursuit; impatient for gratification.

20. (obsolete) Fierce; ardent; fiery; violent; impetuous.
21. Composed of hard, angular grains; gritty.
22. (phonetics, dated) Uttered in a whisper, or with the breath alone; aspirated; unvoiced.
23. (obsolete) Hungry.
    • 1782, Frances Burney, Cecilia, II.iii.1:

      “[W]hy this last week we ha'n't had nothing at all but some dry musty red herrings; so you may think, Miss, we're kept pretty sharp!”

Synonyms

• (able to cut easily): keen, razor, razor-sharp
• (intelligent): brainy, bright, intelligent, keen, smart, witty
• (able to pierce easily): pointed
• (having an intense and acrid flavour): acrid, pungent
• (sudden and intense): abrupt, acute, stabbing
• (illegal, dishonest): dishonest, dodgy, illegal, illicit, underhand
• (accurate): accurate, exact, keen, precise
• (critical): acrimonious, bitter, cutting, harsh, hostile, nasty
• (stylish, attractive): chic, elegant, smart, stylish
• (observant): acute, alert, keen, observant, sharp-eyed

Antonyms

• (able to cut easily): blunt, dull
• (intelligent): dim, dim-witted, slow, slow-witted, thick
• (able to pierce easily): blunt
• (higher than usual by one semitone): flat
• (music: higher in pitch than required): flat
• (having an intense and acrid flavour): bland, insipid, tasteless
• (sudden and intense): dull
• (illegal, dishonest): above-board, honest, legit, legitimate, reputable
• (accurate): inaccurate, imprecise
• (critical): complimentary, flattering, friendly, kind, nice
• (stylish, attractive): inelegant, scruffy, shabby
• (observant): unobservant

Derived terms

Translations

Adverb

sharp (comparative sharper, superlative sharpest)

1. To a point or edge; piercingly; eagerly; sharply.
   • 1853, Matthew Arnold, Sohrab and Rustum

     The iron plates rang sharp, but turn'd the spear
2. (not comparable) Exactly.

3. (music) In a higher pitch than is correct or desirable.

Synonyms

• (exactly): exactly, on the dot (of time), precisely; see also Thesaurus:exactly

Translations

Noun

sharp (plural sharps)

1. (music) The symbol ?, placed after the name of a note in the key signature or before a note on the staff to indicate that the note is to be played a semitone higher.

2. (music) A note that is played a semitone higher than usual; denoted by the name of the note that is followed by the symbol ?.
3. (music) A note that is sharp in a particular key.

4. (music) The scale having a particular sharp note as its tonic.

5. (usually in the plural) Something that is sharp.
   1. (medicine) A hypodermic syringe.
   2. (medicine, dated) A scalpel or other edged instrument used in surgery.
   3. A sharp tool or weapon.
   • c. 1700 Jeremy Collier, On Duelling

     If butchers had but the manners to go to sharps, gentlemen would be contented with a rubber at cuffs.

6. A dishonest person; a cheater.

   This usage is often classified as variant spelling of shark, and unrelated to the 'pointed' or 'cutting' meanings of sharp.

7. Part of a stream where the water runs very rapidly.
   • 1858, Charles Kingsley, "Chalk Stream Studies", in Fraser's Magazine

     here are good fish to be picked out of sharps and stop-holes into the water-tables

8. A sewing needle with a very slender point, more pointed than a blunt or a between.
9. (in the plural) Fine particles of husk mixed with coarse particle of flour of cereals; middlings.
   • 1954, Barbara Comyns, Who Was Changed And Who Was Dead, Dorothy 2010, p. 21:

     While he worked he talked to his ducks, who were waddling about hopefully, as it was almost time for the red bucket to be filled with sharps and potato-peelings.

10. (slang, dated) An expert.
11. A sharpie (member of Australian gangs of the 1960s and 1970s).

Derived terms

• cardsharp, card sharp
• double sharp

Translations

See also

• (music) accidental, flat, natural
• ?

Verb

sharp (third-person singular simple present sharps, present participle sharping, simple past and past participle sharped)

1. (music) To raise the pitch of a note half a step making a natural note a sharp.

2. To play tricks in bargaining; to act the sharper.
3. (transitive, obsolete) To sharpen.

Translations

References

• sharp at OneLook Dictionary Search
• sharp in The Century Dictionary, New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., 1911.

Anagrams

• Spahr, harps, shrap

English

Alternative forms

• perfite (obsolete)
• pf. (abbreviation, grammar)

Etymology 1

From Middle English perfit, from Old French parfit (modern: parfait), from Latin perfectus, perfect passive participle of perficere (“to finish”), from per- (“through, thorough”) + facere (“to do, to make”). Spelling modified 15c. to conform to Latin etymology. Doublet of parfait.

Displaced native Old English fulfremed.

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA^(key): /?p??.f?kt/, /?p??.f?kt/
• (US) IPA^(key): /?p?f?kt/

Adjective

perfect (comparative perfecter or more perfect, superlative perfectest or most perfect)

1. Fitting its definition precisely.

2. Having all of its parts in harmony with a common purpose.

3. Without fault or mistake; thoroughly skilled or talented.

4. Excellent and delightful in all respects.
5. (mathematics) Of a number: equal to the sum of its proper divisors.

   6 is perfect because the sum of its proper divisors, 1, 2, and 3, which is 6, is equal to the number itself.

6. (grammar, of a tense or verb form) Representing a completed action.
7. (biology) Sexually mature and fully differentiated.
8. (botany) Of flowers, having both male parts (stamens) and female parts (carpels).
9. (mathematical analysis) Of a set: equal to its set of limit points, i.e. set A is perfect if A=A'.
10. (music) Describing an interval or any compound interval of a unison, octave, or fourths and fifths that are not tritones.
11. (of a cocktail) Made with equal parts of sweet and dry vermouth.

12. (obsolete) Well informed; certain; sure.

    • I am perfect that the Pannonians and Dalmatians for their liberties are now in arms.

13. (obsolete) Innocent, guiltless.

    • My parts, my title, and my perfect soul shall manifest me rightly.

Usage notes

Some authorities proscribe the comparative and superlative forms "more perfect" and "most perfect", on the grounds that perfection is an absolute state. Nevertheless, graded forms have been in common use in writing for centuries – for instance the Preamble to the United States Constitution, drafted in 1787, describes its goal as "a more perfect Union". In these cases, "more perfect" can mean "closer to perfection", "less imperfect" or "improving upon an already perfect state".

Synonyms

• (fitting its definition precisely): accurate, flawless
• (without fault or mistake): faultless, infallible
• (thoroughly skilled or talented): expert, proficient
• (biology: sexually mature and fully differentiated): mature
• (botany: having both male and female parts): bisexual, hermaphroditic
• See also Thesaurus:flawless

Antonyms

• (fitting its definition precisely): flawed
• (without fault or mistake): faulty, faultful, fallible
• (botany: having both male and female parts): imperfect

Hyponyms

Coordinate terms

• (music): augmented
• (music): diminished

Derived terms

Related terms

• perfect competition
• perfect market
• perfect number
• perfect pitch
• practice makes perfect

Translations

Noun

perfect (plural perfects)

1. (grammar) The perfect tense, or a form in that tense.
2. (video games) A perfect score; the achievement of finishing a stage or task with no mistakes.
   • 2007, Barbara Smith, Chad Yancey, Video Game Achievements and Unlockables (page 17)

     Awarded for scoring all Perfects in the Dominator rank!

Translations

Synonyms

• (grammar): preterperfect

Etymology 2

From perfect (adjective).

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA^(key): /p??f?kt/
• (US) IPA^(key): /p??f?kt/

Verb

perfect (third-person singular simple present perfects, present participle perfecting, simple past and past participle perfected)

1. (transitive) To make perfect; to improve or hone.

   I am going to perfect this article.

   You spend too much time trying to perfect your dancing.

2. (law) To take an action, usually the filing of a document in the correct venue, that secures a legal right.

   perfect an appeal; perfect an interest; perfect a judgment

Synonyms

• (to make perfect): enhance, hone, improve, optimize

Related terms

• perfecter
• perfectible

Translations

References

Anagrams

• prefect

Dutch

Etymology

From Middle Dutch perfect, from Latin perfectus.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /p?r?f?kt/, /p?r?f?kt/
• Hyphenation: per?fect
• Rhymes: -?kt

Adjective

perfect (comparative perfecter, superlative perfectst)

1. perfect

   Synonym: volmaakt

Inflection

Derived terms

• imperfect
• perfectie

Related terms

• imperfectum
• perfectum

Descendants

• Afrikaans: perfek

Adverb

perfect

1. perfectly

Romanian

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin perfectus, German perfekt.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [per?fekt]

Adjective

perfect m or n (feminine singular perfect?, masculine plural perfec?i, feminine and neuter plural perfecte)

1. perfect, flawless

Declension

Synonyms

• des?vâr?it

Antonyms

• imperfect
• nedes?vâr?it

Adverb

perfect

1. perfectly, completely

Noun

perfect n (uncountable)

1. perfect tense

Derived terms

• perfect compus
• perfect simplu