sheeradjective
uk/ʃɪər/us/ʃɪr/sheer adjective (COMPLETE)
C1 [ before noun ] used to emphasize how very great, important, or powerful a quality or feeling is; nothing except:
The suggestion is sheer nonsense.
His success was due to sheer willpower/determination.
It was sheer coincidence that we met.
More examples
- It was sheer chance that we met.
- I've got where I am through sheer hard work.
- My time in prison was sheer hell.
- Words could not convey the sheer terror of the experience.
- People danced in the streets out of sheer joy.
Thesaurus: synonyms and related words
Linguistics: very & extreme
- abject
- awful
- badly
- beyond
- classic
- classical
- deadly
- devastating
- drop dead! idiom
- eminently
- esp
- especially
- heartily
- impossibly
- perfect
- specially
- supremely
- thoroughly
- whole
- wide
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sheer adjective (STEEP)
C2 extremely steep; almost vertical:
a sheer mountain side
a sheer drop of 100 metres
Thesaurus: synonyms and related words
Geography: hills & mountains
- alpine
- arête
- Ben
- butte
- cirque
- cliff
- clifftop
- col
- drumlin
- hilltop
- hilly
- hummock
- incline
- knoll
- mountainous
- Mountains
- mountainside
- orographic
- ridge
- shelf
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sheer adjective (THIN)
Sheer clothing or material is so thin, light, and delicate that you can see through it:
sheer nylon tights
She wore a dress of the sheerest silk.
Thesaurus: synonyms and related words
Light and weightless
- (as) light as a feather idiom
- airy
- be (as) light as a feather idiom
- ethereal
- feather
- floaty
- fluffy
- foamy
- frothy
- insubstantial
- lather
- light
- lightness
- lightweight
- portable
- weightless
- wispy
You can also find related words, phrases, and synonyms in the topics:
Thin and fine
sheerverb [ I usually + adv/prep ]
uk/ʃɪər/us/ʃɪr/to change direction suddenly:
I thought the boats were going to collide, but one sheered off/away at the last second.
Thesaurus: synonyms and related words
Changing direction
- about-turn
- bear
- branch off
- branch off sth
- decoy
- deflect
- deflection
- diversion
- divert
- glance
- glance off (sth)
- head
- head sb/sth off
- oscillate
- peaked
- turn
- turn off (sth)
- U-turn
- veer
- yo-yo
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