steep

[steep]

See more synonyms for steep on Thesaurus.com

adjective, steep·er, steep·est.

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.

noun

a steep place; declivity, as of a hill.

Origin of steep

before 900; Middle English stepe (adj.), Old English stēap; akin to stoop¹

Related formssteep·ly, adverbsteep·ness, noun

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Related Words for steepness

angle, point, shelf, ramp, hill, slope, incline, degree, level, gradient, slant, height, cant, dip, steepness, declivity, tip, bias, bend, pitch

Examples from the Web for steepness

Historical Examples of steepness

On its northern side, the steepness of the hill formed the only defence.'
Devon, Its Moorlands, Streams and Coasts
Rosalind Northcote
The weather was rough, and the height and steepness discouraged us.
A Journey to the Western Isles of Scotland
Samuel Johnson
The steepness of the precipice was guard enough near the town.
Canada: the Empire of the North
Agnes C. Laut
The steepness of the declivity made it necessary for Orso to dismount.
Columba
Prosper Merimee
He would doubtless have run had it not been for the steepness of the earlier ascents.
Godfrey Morgan
Jules Verne

British Dictionary definitions for steepness

steep

adjective

1. having or being a slope or gradient approaching the perpendicular
2. (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

Derived Formssteeply, adverbsteepness, noun

Word Origin for steep

Old English steap; related to Old Frisian stāp, Old High German stouf cliff, Old Norse staup

steep

verb

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

noun

an instance or the process of steeping or the condition of being steeped
a liquid or solution used for the purpose of steeping something

Derived Formssteeper, noun

Word Origin for steep

Old English stēpan; related to steap vessel, cup, Old High German stouf, Old Norse staup, Middle Dutch stōp

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for steepness

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

"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.