Merriam-Webster Logo
SINCE 1828
Menu
dictionary thesaurus

Thesaurus

sheer

verb

Synonyms and Antonyms of sheer

1 to change one's course or direction

  • the cruise ship sheered to the northwest, putting it safely out of the path of the hurricane
Synonyms of sheer

detour, deviate, diverge, swerve, swing, turn, turn off, veer, wheel
Words Related to sheer

tack, zigzag

double (back), turn back

2 to depart abruptly from a straight line or course

  • the car sheered to avoid hitting the dog
Synonyms of sheer

break, cut, swerve, veer, yaw, zag, zig
Words Related to sheer

skew, slew (also slue)

arc, arch, bend, bow, crook, curve, hook, round, sweep, wheel

about-face, pivot

circle, coil, curl, loop, spiral

turn, twist, wind

weave, zigzag

deviate, stray, wander, waver
Antonyms of sheer

straighten

sheer

adjective

Synonyms and Antonyms of sheer

1 very thin and easy to see through

  • we had to get window shades because passersby could see right through our sheer curtains
Synonyms of sheer

cobwebby, diaphanous, filmy, gauzelike, gauzy, gossamer, gossamery, see-through, transparent
Words Related to sheer

peekaboo

clear, crystal, crystalline, limpid, liquid, lucent, pellucid

lucid, translucent

dainty, delicate, flimsy, fragile, frail, insubstantial, unsubstantial

colorless, uncolored
Near Antonyms of sheer

opaque

cloudy, foggy, hazy, misty, murky, nebulous, smoky (also smokey)

drab, dull, lackluster, lusterless

2 having no exceptions or restrictions

  • survivors of the earthquake told of experiencing sheer terror
Synonyms of sheer

absolute, all-out, arrant, blank, blooming [chiefly British], bodacious [Southern & Midland], categorical (also categoric), clean, complete, consummate, cotton-picking, crashing, damn, damned, dead, deadly, definite, downright, dreadful, fair, flat, flat-out, out-and-out, outright, perfect, plumb, profound, pure, rank, regular, simple, stark, stone, straight-out, thorough, thoroughgoing, total, unadulterated, unalloyed, unconditional, unmitigated, unqualified, utter, very
Words Related to sheer

authentic, classic, genuine, real, veritable

constant, endless, eternal, perpetual, undying, unremitting

extreme, unrestricted

confirmed, habitual, hopeless, inveterate

extraordinary, frightful, horrible, huge, main, superlative, supreme, surpassing, terrible, terrific
Near Antonyms of sheer

doubtful, dubious, equivocal, qualified, questionable, restricted, uncertain

3 having an incline approaching the perpendicular

  • the sheer slopes of the ravine
Synonyms of sheer

abrupt, bold, precipitous, steep
Words Related to sheer

perpendicular, plumb, straight, vertical

craggy, hillocky, hilly, mountainous, scarped

angled, canted, cocked, heeled, inclined, listed, slanted, sloped, tilted, tipped
Near Antonyms of sheer

gentle, gradual, moderate, soft

even, flat, flush, horizontal, level, plane, smooth, unruffled, unwrinkled
Antonyms of sheer

easy

Synonym Discussion of sheer

steep, abrupt, precipitous, sheer mean having an incline approaching the perpendicular. steep implies such sharpness of pitch that ascent or descent is very difficult.
    • a steep hill
    • a steep dive
abrupt implies a sharper pitch and a sudden break in the level.
    • a beach with an abrupt drop-off
precipitous applies to an incline approaching the vertical.
    • the river winds through a precipitous gorge
sheer suggests an unbroken perpendicular expanse.
    • sheer cliffs that daunted the climbers

Learn More about sheer

  1. See words that rhyme with sheer Dictionary: Definition of sheer Spanish Central: Translation of sheer Nglish: Translation of sheer for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of sheer for Arabic speakers

Seen and Heard

What made you want to look up sheer? Please tell us where you read or heard it (including the quote, if possible).

show comments hide comments

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

WORD OF THE DAY

susurrous

full of whispering sounds

Get Word of the Day daily email!

TRENDING NOW

  1. gaslight It is a word, though.

  2. invasion CNN reporter questions President.

  3. relevancy Ariana Grande slams ex-fiancé.

SEE ALL

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Words at Play

Ask the Editors

Word Games