Antonyms for sheer
| Grammar : Adj |
| Spell : sheer |
| Phonetic Transcription : ʃɪər |
Definition of sheer
Origin :- c.1200, "exempt, free from guilt" (e.g. Sheer Thursday, the Thursday of Holy Week); later schiere "thin, sparse" (c.1400), from Old English scir "bright, clear, gleaming; translucent; pure, unmixed," and influenced by Old Norse cognate scær "bright, clean, pure," both from Proto-Germanic *skeran- (cf. Old Saxon skiri, Old Frisian skire, German schier, Gothic skeirs "clean, pure"), from PIE root *(s)ker- (1) "to cut" (see shear (v.)).
- Sense of "absolute, utter" (sheer nonsense) developed 1580s, probably from the notion of "unmixed;" that of "very steep" (a sheer cliff) is first recorded 1800, probably from notion of "continued without halting." Meaning "diaphanous" is from 1560s. As an adverb from c.1600.
- adj abrupt, steep
- adj utter, absolute
- adj see-through, thin
- To all the generations before our own matter was a sheer and positive density.
- Extract from : « The Conquest of Fear » by Basil King
- On them it is forced from without, by sheer pressure of circumstance.
- Extract from : « The Conquest of Fear » by Basil King
- Mary stood silent for a moment from sheer amazement over the change.
- Extract from : « Within the Law » by Marvin Dana
- It was as if she found in sheer activity and fatigue a remedy for her uneasiness.
- Extract from : « K » by Mary Roberts Rinehart
- I laughed out of sheer inanity; every pulse in my body was throbbing.
- Extract from : « The Bacillus of Beauty » by Harriet Stark
- And, indeed, for one word of relevance were a dozen of sheer chatter.
- Extract from : « The Leopard Woman » by Stewart Edward White
- She's quite wild now with sheer joy because she's going to Egypt.
- Extract from : « It Happened in Egypt » by C. N. Williamson
- But the indignation turned to surprise, sheer incredulous amazement.
- Extract from : « It Happened in Egypt » by C. N. Williamson
- Then we lay on the grass and laughed with sheer bliss of being alive.
- Extract from : « American Notes » by Rudyard Kipling
- In the sheer youth of her (he realized) more than in aught else, lay her chiefest charm.
- Extract from : « The Black Bag » by Louis Joseph Vance
Synonyms for sheer
- airy
- altogether
- arduous
- arrant
- blasted
- blessed
- chiffon
- clear
- cobwebby
- complete
- confounded
- delicate
- diaphanous
- downright
- erect
- filmy
- fine
- flimsy
- fragile
- gauzy
- gossamer
- gross
- headlong
- infernal
- lacy
- limpid
- lucid
- out-and-out
- outright
- pellucid
- perfect
- perpendicular
- precipitate
- precipitous
- pure
- quite
- rank
- sideling
- simple
- single
- slight
- smooth
- soft
- thoroughgoing
- tiffany
- total
- translucent
- transparent
- unadulterated
- unalloyed
- undiluted
- unmitigated
- unmixed
- unqualified
- upright
Based on : Thesaurus.com - Gutenberg.org - Dictionary.com - Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019