Word family noun sharpener sharpness sharp adjective sharp verb sharpen adverb sharp sharply sharpish
From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishsharplysharp‧ly /ˈʃɑːpli $ ˈʃɑːr-/ ●●○ W3 adverb 1 LOT/VERY MUCHsuddenly and by a large amount Prices have risen sharply over the last few months. His politics have moved sharply to the right.2 DISAPPROVEin a disapproving or unfriendly way ‘What do you mean by that?’ Paul asked sharply. a sharply critical report3 FAST/QUICKquickly and suddenly Graham looked up sharply, startled by a noise behind him. Emily drew in her breath sharply.4 CLEAR/EASY TO UNDERSTANDused when saying that two things are clearly and noticeably very different Opinion is sharply divided. His beliefs and values contrast sharply with (=are very different from) his father’s.COLLOCATIONSverbsrise/increase sharplyThe value of early photographs has risen sharply in recent years.fall/drop sharplyOil prices fell sharply.sharply reduce/cut somethingThese measures could sharply reduce pollution from road traffic. Examples from the Corpus
sharply• The rich colour came to her cheeks at the daring thoughts and she caught her breath sharply.• What is needed is a couple of examples to bring out the difference sharply.• As a result, in many countries, the wage gap between lowly and highly skilled workers has widened sharply.• In the morning, he sharply criticized Jones for maverick marketing policies and accused him of trying to tear down the league.• Opinion is sharply divided in the local community.• Our sales declined sharply in the last quarter.• But the ratio would then fall sharply in the second and third decades of the twenty-first century.• When Gore was the Democratic front-runner for the presidential election, his satellite drew a sharply mixed reaction.• However, households also paid sharply more for some items they bought every few days, such as gasoline and dairy products.• sharply rising prices• He has spoken sharply to Mr Dach about it and has received his assurance that such a thing will never happen again.• The White House reacted sharply to the accusations of improper deals.sharply divided• Beyond the financial problems, there is new concern that historically tolerant California is developing a culture sharply divided along racial lines.• However opinion on this was sharply divided among scientists.• He is both sharply divided from his party opponents and emotionally involved in electoral contests.• In the Bible miracles are not as sharply divided from other events as they tend to be in our thinking.• Its sharply divided report now is scheduled to be released next month.• The semi-occlusion of categories between £2 and £39 sharply divided society into two classes.• It was an issue that sharply divided the Marxist Left.• Northern opinion was sharply divided, with party lines much in evidence. 