different between shrewd vs acrimonious

English

Alternative forms

• shrewde (obsolete)

Etymology

c. 1300, Middle English schrewed (“depraved; wicked”, literally “accursed”), from schrewen (“to curse; beshrew”), from schrewe, schrowe, screwe (“evil or wicked person/thing”), from Old English scr?awa (“wicked person”, literally “biter”). Equivalent to shrew +? -ed. More at shrew.

The sense of "cunning" developed in early 16^th c., gradually gaining a positive connotation by 17^th c.

Pronunciation

• enPR: shro?od, IPA^(key): /??u?d/

• Rhymes: -u?d

Adjective

shrewd (comparative shrewder, superlative shrewdest)

1. Showing clever resourcefulness in practical matters.
2. Artful, tricky or cunning.
3. (informal) Streetwise, street-smart.
4. Knowledgeable, intelligent, keen.
5. Nigh accurate.

6. Severe, intense, hard.

7. Sharp, snithy, piercing.

8. (archaic) Bad, evil, threatening.
   • 1596-97, William Shakespeare, The Merchant of Venice, Act III Scene ii:

     Portia:

     There are some shrewd contents in yon same paper,

     That steals the colours from Bassanio's cheek:

     Some dear friend dead; else nothing in the world

     Could turn so much the constitution

     Of any constant man. What, worse and worse!— […]

9. (obsolete) Portending, boding.
10. (archaic) Noxious, scatheful, mischievous.
11. (obsolete) Abusive, shrewish.
12. (archaic) Scolding, satirical, sharp.
    • 1599, William Shakespeare, Much Ado About Nothing, Act II Scene i:

      Leonato: By my troth, niece, thou wilt never get thee a husband, if thou be so shrewd of thy tongue.

Derived terms

• shrewdly
• shrewdness

Translations

English

Etymology

acrimony +? -ous; compare French acrimonieux (“acrimonious”), from Latin ?crim?ni?sus (“acrimonious”), from ?crim?nia (“pungency, sharpness; acrimony, austerity”) + -?sus (“suffix meaning ‘full of; prone to’, forming adjectives from nouns”) (ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *-went- or *-wont- + *-to-). ?crim?nia is derived from Latin ?cer (“sharp; bitter, sour”) (from Proto-Indo-European *h??rós (“sharp”), from *h?e?- (“sharp”) + *-rós (“suffix forming adjectives from Caland system roots”)) + Latin -m?nia (the feminine form of -m?nium (“suffix forming collective nouns and nouns designating legal status or obligation”), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *-m? (“suffix forming agent nouns from verbs”)).

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /?æk.???m??.n?.?s/
• (General American) IPA^(key): /?æk.???mo?.ni.?s/, /-??-/
• Hyphenation: acri?mo?ni?ous

Adjective

acrimonious (comparative more acrimonious, superlative most acrimonious)

1. (archaic) Harsh and sharp, or bitter and not pleasant to the taste; acrid, pungent.
2. (figuratively) Angry, acid, and sharp in delivering argumentative replies: bitter, mean-spirited, sharp in language or tone. [from early 17th c.]

Synonyms

• acerb, acerbic
• bitter
• rancorous

Antonyms

• nonacrimonious

Derived terms

• acrimoniously
• acrimoniousness

Related terms

• acrid
• acridity
• acridness
• acrimony

Translations

References

Anagrams

• isocoumarin