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
Example sentences :
  • 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

Based on : Thesaurus.com - Gutenberg.org - Dictionary.com - Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019