sheer

¹

[sheer]

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.

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

[sheer]

verb (used without object)

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

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

/ 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

adverb

1. steeply or perpendicularly

2. completely or absolutely

noun

1. any transparent fabric used for making garments

sheer

²

/ ʃɪə /

verb

1. to deviate or cause to deviate from a course

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

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

Word History and Origins

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of sheer¹

Old English scīr; related to Old Norse skīrr bright, Gothic skeirs clear, Middle High German schīr

Origin of sheer²

C17: perhaps variant of _shear

Example Sentences

Homeowner satisfaction with how insurers handle property claims this year has been strained by “the sheer volume of catastrophic events, history of widespread premium increases and slow repair cycle times,” according to surveys by J.D.

Read more on MarketWatch

Given the sheer scale of government debt, even small shifts in investors’ allocations from bond markets can have outsize price impacts on assets such as gold, silver or platinum.

Read more on Wall Street Journal

What regionals might fear most about their large peers isn’t their sheer size, but when they focus locally.

Read more on Wall Street Journal

The sheer level of polarity makes agreeing on a solution extremely difficult - as does the highly emotional nature of the debate.

Read more on BBC

The current Waterboys are a crack team of musical mercenaries up there to play the sheer hell out of each and every song, no matter what era it first originated in.

Read more on Salon

Related Words

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