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 detour, deviate, diverge, turn, swerve, swing, turn off, veer, wheelRelated Words 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 break, cut, swerve, veer, yaw, zag, zigRelated Words 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, waverAntonyms straighten

1 very thin and easy to see through we had to get window shades because passersby could see right through our sheer curtains Synonyms cobwebby, diaphanous, filmy, gauzelike, gauzy, gossamer, gossamery, see-through, transparent Related Words peekaboo; clear, crystal, crystalline, limpid, liquid, lucent, pellucid; lucid, translucent; dainty, delicate, flimsy, fragile, frail, insubstantial, unsubstantial; colorless, uncolored Near Antonyms 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 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, absolute, simple, stark, stone, straight-out, thorough, thoroughgoing, total, unadulterated, unalloyed, unconditional, unmitigated, unqualified, utter, veryRelated Words 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, terrificNear Antonyms doubtful, dubious, equivocal, qualified, questionable, restricted, uncertain

3 having an incline approaching the perpendicular the sheer slopes of the ravine Synonyms abrupt, bold, precipitous, steepRelated Words perpendicular, plumb, straight, vertical; craggy, hillocky, hilly, mountainous, scarped; angled, canted, cocked, heeled, inclined, listed, slanted, sloped, tilted, tippedNear Antonyms gentle, gradual, moderate, soft; even, flat, flush, horizontal, level, plane, smooth, unruffled, unwrinkledAntonyms easy