steep1
- having an almost vertical slope or pitch, or a relatively high gradient, as a hill, an ascent, stairs, etc.
- (of a price or amount) unduly high; exorbitant: Those prices are too steep for me.
- extreme or incredible, as a statement or story.
- high or lofty.
- a steep place; declivity, as of a hill.
Origin of steep1
Examples from the Web for steeper
Contemporary Examples
Which is lucky: we can see the gaps in the disk more clearly than if the disk were at a steeper angle.
That would be a steeper deficit reduction than occurred during the booming 1990s.
But when little bounce resulted, the path toward a third reincarnation of his campaign is becoming steeper and steeper.
While polls show Romney and Obama competitive in the fall, the Election Oracle suggests a steeper climb for Romney.
Solution: Romney needs to offer bigger tax cuts for the rich and steeper benefit cuts for the young.
Historical Examples
It had dismal corridors, and steeper stairways than even the abbé's.
By mid-morning the bed of the cañon had become much rougher and steeper.
Bloom of CactusRobert Ames Bennet
But, as Carmena remarked, the steeper the grade the sooner it was ended.
Bloom of CactusRobert Ames Bennet
The steeper the descent, the faster, of course, we could go.
Diary of a PilgrimageJerome K. Jerome
At the edge of the steeper climb to come they stopped, breathing fast.
Red Pepper BurnsGrace S. Richmond
steep1
- having or being a slope or gradient approaching the perpendicular
- (as noun)the steep
- informal (of a fee, price, demand, etc) unduly high; unreasonable (esp in the phrase that's a bit steep)
- informal excessively demanding or ambitiousa steep task
- British informal (of a statement) extreme or far-fetched
- obsolete elevated
Word Origin
steep2
- to soak or be soaked in a liquid in order to soften, cleanse, extract an element, etc
- (tr; usually passive) to saturate; imbuesteeped in ideology
- an instance or the process of steeping or the condition of being steeped
- a liquid or solution used for the purpose of steeping something
Word Origin
Word Origin and History for steeper
steep
adj.
"having a sharp slope," Old English steap "high, lofty," from Proto-Germanic *staupaz (cf. Old Frisian stap, Middle High German *stouf), from PIE *steup- "to push, stick, knock, beat," with derivations referring to projecting objects (cf. Greek typtein "to strike," typos "a blow, mold, die;" Sanskrit tup- "harm," tundate "pushes, stabs;" Gothic stautan "push;" Old Norse stuttr "short"). The sense of "precipitous" is from c.1200. The slang sense "at a high price" is a U.S. coinage first attested 1856. Related: Steeply; steepness.
steep
v.
"to soak in a liquid," late 14c., of uncertain origin, originally in reference to barley or malt, probably cognate with Old Norse steypa "to pour out, throw" (or an unrecorded Old English cognate), from Proto-Germanic *staupijanan. Related: Steeped; steeping.