sheer

¹ American  

[sheer] / ʃɪər /

adjective

sheerer, sheerest

1. transparently thin; diaphanous, as some fabrics.

   sheer silk.

   Antonyms:

   opaque

2. unmixed with anything else.

   We drilled a hundred feet through sheer rock.

   Synonyms:

   unadulterated, pure, simple, mere

3. unqualified; utter.

   sheer nonsense.

   Synonyms:

   downright, absolute

4. extending down or up very steeply; almost completely vertical.

   a sheer descent of rock.

   Synonyms:

   precipitous, abrupt

5. British Obsolete. bright; shining.

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adverb

1. clear; completely; clean.

   ran sheer into the thick of battle.

   Synonyms:

   entirely, totally

2. perpendicularly; vertically; down or up very steeply.

noun

1. a thin, diaphanous material, as chiffon or voile.

sheer ² American  

[sheer] / ʃɪər /

verb (used without object)

1. to deviate from a course, as a ship; swerve.

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verb (used with object)

1. to cause to sheer.

2. Shipbuilding. to give sheer to (a hull).

noun

1. a deviation or divergence, as of a ship from its course; swerve.

2. Shipbuilding. the fore-and-aft upward curve of the hull of a vessel at the main deck or bulwarks.

3. Nautical. the position in which a ship at anchor is placed to keep it clear of the anchor.

sheer ¹ British  

/ ʃɪə /

adjective

1. perpendicular; very steep

   a sheer cliff

2. (of textiles) so fine as to be transparent

3. (prenominal) absolute; unmitigated

   sheer folly

4. obsolete bright or shining

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adverb

1. steeply or perpendicularly

2. completely or absolutely

noun

1. any transparent fabric used for making garments

sheer ² British  

/ ʃɪə /

verb

1. to deviate or cause to deviate from a course

2. (intr) to avoid an unpleasant person, thing, topic, etc

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noun

1. the upward sweep of the deck or bulwarks of a vessel

2. nautical the position of a vessel relative to its mooring

Other Word Forms

• sheerly adverb
• sheerness noun

Etymology

Origin of sheer¹

First recorded in 1175–1225; Middle English scere, shere, schere “free, clear, bright, thin”; probably from Old Norse skǣrr; change of sk- from s(c)h- perhaps by influence of the related Old English scīr ( English dialect shire “clear, pure, thin”); cognate with German schier, Old Norse skīr, Gothic skeirs “clear”

Origin of sheer²

First recorded in 1620–30; of uncertain origin; perhaps a special use of sheer ¹

Example Sentences

Her other superpower, coupled with this sheer speed, was what former employees describe as the aural equivalent of a photographic memory.

From The Wall Street Journal

And the Royal Ballet and Opera in London said on Instagram that Chalamet was welcome to come see “the sheer magic of live performance” in action.

From The Wall Street Journal

Its glamour, abundance and sheer scale — a true concrete jungle — can be loved or hated depending on who you ask.

From Salon

But the sheer volume of data-center spending has changed the networking cycle.

From Barron's

Through sheer effort in her panic she made it.

From Literature

Related Words

• outright
• pure
• simple
• unadulterated
• unalloyed
• unmitigated