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Intermediate Dictionary        

sheer

 
 
pronunciation:
shir
features:
Homophone Note
part of speech: adjective
inflections: sheerer, sheerest
definition 1: thin or fine enough to see through.
The scarf was made from a sheer fabric.
antonyms:
opaque, thick
similar words:
airy, fine, light, thin, translucent
definition 2: pure and total.
The story filled her with sheer terror.She won the prize by sheer hard work.
synonyms:
pure
similar words:
absolute, complete, perfect, thorough, total, utter
definition 3: straight up and down, or almost so.
He looked up at the sheer side of the canyon.
synonyms:
vertical
antonyms:
gradual, sloping
similar words:
abrupt, perpendicular, plumb, sharp, steep, upright
derivations: sheerly (adv.), sheerness (n.)
Homophone Note
The words sheer and shear (to cut or trim) sound alike but have different meanings.