Synonyms for sheer
ʃɪərsheer

English Synonyms and AntonymsRate these synonyms:5.0 / 1 vote

1. sheer

   That is pure which is free from mixture or contact with anything that weakens, impairs, or pollutes. Material substances are called pure in the strict sense when free from foreign admixture of any kind; as, pure oxygen; the word is often used to signify free from any defiling or objectionable admixture (the original sense); we speak of water as pure when it is bright, clear, and refreshing, tho it may contain mineral salts in solution; in the medical and chemical sense, only distilled water (aqua pura) is pure. In moral and religious use pure is a strong word, denoting positive excellence of a high order; one is innocent who knows nothing of evil, and has experienced no touch of temptation; one is pure who, with knowledge of evil and exposure to temptation, keeps heart and soul unstained. Virtuous refers primarily to right action; pure to right feeling and motives; as, "Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God," Matt. v, 8. Compare FINE; INNOCENT.

   Synonyms:
   absolute, chaste, classic, classical, clean, clear, continent, genuine, guileless, guiltless, holy, immaculate, incorrupt, innocent, mere, perfect, pure, real, simple, spotless, stainless, true, unadulterated, unblemished, uncorrupted, undefiled, unmingled, unmixed, unpolluted, unspotted, unstained, unsullied, untainted, untarnished, upright, virtuous

   Antonyms:
   adulterated, defiled, dirty, filthy, foul, gross, immodest, impure, indecent, indelicate, lewd, mixed, obscene, polluted, stained, sullied, tainted, tarnished, unchaste, unclean

Complete Dictionary of Synonyms and AntonymsRate these synonyms:0.0 / 0 votes

1. sheer

   Synonyms:
   pure, mere, unmixed, unqualified, unmitigated, absolute, simple, unadulterated

   Antonyms:
   mixed, qualified, adulterated, modified, partial

Princeton's WordNetRate these synonyms:0.0 / 0 votes

1. absolute, downright, out-and-out(a), rank(a), right-down, sheer(a)adjective

   complete and without restriction or qualification; sometimes used informally as intensifiers

   "absolute freedom"; "an absolute dimwit"; "a downright lie"; "out-and-out mayhem"; "an out-and-out lie"; "a rank outsider"; "many right-down vices"; "got the job through sheer persistence"; "sheer stupidity"

   Antonyms:
   impure, uncomplete, thick, gradual, incomplete

2. plain, sheer, unmingled, unmixedadjective

   not mixed with extraneous elements

   "plain water"; "sheer wine"; "not an unmixed blessing"

   Synonyms:
   evident, bare, spare, gauzy, downright, unpatterned, uncompounded, cobwebby, unmixed, unornamented, vapourous, right-down, out-and-out(a), manifest, patent, absolute, vaporous, homely, see-through, unmingled, unvarnished, rank(a), gossamer, bluff, sheer(a), diaphanous, apparent, plain, bold, filmy, gauze-like, unembellished, transparent, unmistakable

   Antonyms:
   thick, incomplete, gradual, uncomplete, impure

3. bluff, bold, sheeradjective

   very steep; having a prominent and almost vertical front

   "a bluff headland"; "where the bold chalk cliffs of England rise"; "a sheer descent of rock"

   Synonyms:
   rank(a), transparent, sheer(a), absolute, cobwebby, vapourous, plain, diaphanous, right-down, see-through, vaporous, gossamer, filmy, bluff, bold, unmingled, gauze-like, unmixed, downright, gauzy, out-and-out(a)

   Antonyms:
   incomplete, gradual, thick, impure, uncomplete

4. diaphanous, filmy, gauzy, gauze-like, gossamer, see-through, sheer, transparent, vaporous, vapourous, cobwebbyverb

   so thin as to transmit light

   "a hat with a diaphanous veil"; "filmy wings of a moth"; "gauzy clouds of dandelion down"; "gossamer cobwebs"; "sheer silk stockings"; "transparent chiffon"; "vaporous silks"

   Synonyms:
   gauzy, vaporific, miasmic, vapourish, crystalline, cobwebby, unmixed, downright, vapourous, right-down, pellucid, out-and-out(a), absolute, vaporous, see-through, unmingled, vaporish, ethereal, rank(a), limpid, bluff, sheer(a), diaphanous, miasmal, gossamer, plain, bold, filmy, crystal clear, lucid, gauze-like, vapourific, guileless, transparent

   Antonyms:
   gradual, uncomplete, incomplete, impure, thick

5. swerve, sheer, curve, trend, veer, slue, slew, cutverb

   turn sharply; change direction abruptly

   "The car cut to the left at the intersection"; "The motorbike veered to the right"

   Synonyms:
   foreshorten, veer, bring down, wind, turn off, edit out, arch, twist, hack, trim down, write out, prune, thin, kink, cut, rationalize, trim back, trim, ignore, swerve, shorten, crook, edit, thin out, cut down, skip, abridge, reduce, rationalise, arc, contract, burn, dilute, curve, switch off, make out, geld, slew, disregard, tailor, cut off, turn out, snub, slue, slide, issue, cut back, abbreviate, trend, curl, slip, skid

   Antonyms:
   gradual, incomplete, uncomplete, impure, thick

6. sheeradverb

   cause to sheer

   "She sheered her car around the obstacle"

   Synonyms:
   slue, swerve, cut, trend, veer, slew, curve

   Antonyms:
   impure, incomplete, thick, uncomplete, gradual

7. sheer, perpendicularlyadverb

   straight up or down without a break

   Synonyms:
   perpendicularly

   Antonyms:
   gradual, thick, uncomplete, incomplete, impure

8. sheeradverb

   directly

   "he fell sheer into the water"

   Synonyms:
   perpendicularly

   Antonyms:
   impure, uncomplete, incomplete, gradual, thick

Matched Categories

1. • Turn

Dictionary of English SynonymesRate these synonyms:0.0 / 0 votes

1. sheeradjective

   Synonyms:
   pure, unmixed, simple, mere, bare, naked

2. sheeradjective

   Synonyms:
   perpendicular

3. sheeradjective

   Synonyms:
   mainstay, chief support, main reliance

Synonyms, Antonyms & Associated WordsRate these synonyms:0.0 / 0 votes

1. sheeradjective

   Synonyms:
   thin, unadulterated, pure, unmixed, precipitous, abrupt, perpendicular

PPDB, the paraphrase databaseRate these paraphrases:0.0 / 0 votes

1. List of paraphrases for "sheer":

   pure, mere, simple, clean, purely

Suggested Resources

1. Sheer

   Shear vs. Sheer -- In this Grammar.com article you will learn the differences between the words Shear and Sheer.

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How to use sheer in a sentence?

1. Alastair Reid:

   Children are entitled to their otherness, as anyone is and when we reach them, as we sometimes do, it is generally on a point of sheer delight, to us so astonishing, but to them so natural.

2. Kane Ray:

   If you consider sheer numbers of aircraft crashes, flying today is safer, however, there are more aircraft in the sky, so naturally the overall number may appear similar to previous decades and, in some categories of disaster, higher.

3. Johann von Goethe:

   God could cause us considerable embarrassment by revealing all the secrets of nature to us we should not know what to do for sheer apathy and boredom.

4. Joseph Addison:

   I do not believe that sheer suffering teaches. If suffering alone taught, all the world would be wise, since everyone suffers. To suffering must be added mourning, understanding, patience, love, openness and the willingness to remain vulnerable.

5. David Brown:

   He has so much to offer. It's the sheer color and excitement of the paint which people respond to.