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sheer

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verb

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as in to deviate
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 & Similar Words

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Synonym Chooser

How is the word sheer different from other adjectives like it?

Some common synonyms of sheer are abrupt, precipitous, and steep. While all these words mean "having an incline approaching the perpendicular," sheer suggests an unbroken perpendicular expanse.

sheer cliffs that daunted the climbers

When would abrupt be a good substitute for sheer?

Although the words abrupt and sheer have much in common, abrupt implies a sharper pitch and a sudden break in the level.

a beach with an abrupt drop-off

When is precipitous a more appropriate choice than sheer?

The meanings of precipitous and sheer largely overlap; however, precipitous applies to an incline approaching the vertical.

the river winds through a precipitous gorge

When is it sensible to use steep instead of sheer?

While in some cases nearly identical to sheer, steep implies such sharpness of pitch that ascent or descent is very difficult.

a steep hill
a steep dive

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of sheer
Adjective
On the way up to the peak, suspended in the air, the cable car ascended with impressive speed, the sheer, rocky face of the mountain just a few yards away. Thomas Page McBee, Travel + Leisure, 16 Sep. 2025 For the 50th Chaplin Gala at New York City’s Lincoln Center in April, Lipa wore a knitted, semi-sheer dress with Schiaparelli’s idiosyncratic eye statement jewelry. Julia Teti, Footwear News, 16 Sep. 2025
Verb
Its thin, almost-watery texture delivers an exceptional burst of color, that despite its weight, does not sheer out when blended. Kiana Murden, Vogue, 18 Apr. 2025 For instance, satellite photos from Planet Labs PBC show the earthquake toppled the air traffic control tower at Naypyitaw International Airport as if sheered from its base, according to The Associated Press. Michael Dorgan, FOXNews.com, 29 Mar. 2025 See All Example Sentences for sheer
Recent Examples of Synonyms for sheer
Adjective
  • Runge advises patients to ask how AI tools are being used in their care, choose providers who are transparent, and expect bedside empathy alongside cutting-edge diagnostics.
    Nia Bowers, USA Today, 12 Sep. 2025
  • In this way, cosmic dust behaves as a very efficient absorber of visible light, is only lightly absorbed by near-infrared light, and is practically perfectly transparent to mid-infrared (and longer) wavelengths of light.
    Ethan Siegel, Big Think, 12 Sep. 2025
Adjective
  • Here was the postwar American housewife—neatly dressed, pretty, poised, active—stepping unwittingly into a scene of utter depravity and sadism that reflected back at this wholesome young mother the darkest recesses of the human mind.
    Maureen Lee Lenker, Entertainment Weekly, 10 Sep. 2025
  • Such comments demonstrate his utter disregard for and distrust of law enforcement and our legal process.
    U T Readers, San Diego Union-Tribune, 8 Sep. 2025
Adjective
  • Low User Adoption Due To Poor Onboarding The primary hurdle is often low user adoption due to poor onboarding and a steep learning curve.
    Expert Panel®, Forbes.com, 18 Sep. 2025
  • The hidden gem is packed with steep deals on cool-weather necessities at shockingly reasonable prices.
    Jamie Fischer, Better Homes & Gardens, 18 Sep. 2025
Verb
  • Even in states whose policy deviates from the CDC, each pharmacy can set its own boundaries on who can be vaccinated, and individual pharmacists may fear liability for vaccinating pregnant customers, Groves said.
    Yasmin Tayag, The Atlantic, 16 Sep. 2025
  • Dell said the real challenge is how quickly students who deviate from their peers’ politics can be ostracized.
    Hanna Kang, Oc Register, 13 Sep. 2025
Verb
  • As young women get more socially and politically liberal, men are veering to the right, placing an emphasis on traditional gender roles and, for some, leaning into frighteningly potent misogynistic views.
    Stephanie McNeal, Glamour, 18 Sep. 2025
  • Petrostates—state actors dependent on fossil fuels for their sovereign wealth, who also veer towards autocratic rule to maintain tight control of their population—play an equally important role in the manufacturing and spread of antiscience propaganda.
    Michael E. Mann, Time, 17 Sep. 2025
Adjective
  • The small, four-to-five-inch-long fish are a translucent pink color that seems to shimmer like mother-of-pearl.
    Karl Schneider, IndyStar, 17 Sep. 2025
  • Left overnight, a translucent veil covers the sides.
    Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 17 Sep. 2025
Adjective
  • Well, despite Peaches dying, all Robbie got was a massive load of pure fentanyl.
    Grace Byron, Vulture, 15 Sep. 2025
  • Soon, boundary-free mowing took hold, powered by new technologies like pure vision, UWB, and RTK—each with merits and drawbacks.
    Ni Tao, Interesting Engineering, 15 Sep. 2025
Adjective
  • For nearly four decades, Armenia and Azerbaijan have skirmished with each other, primarily over Nagorno-Karabakh, a mountainous region that both countries claim.
    Mark Temnycky, Forbes.com, 10 Sep. 2025
  • In a small region of the mountainous forests in Brazil, the peaks meet the clouds and humidity fills the air.
    Irene Wright, Miami Herald, 9 Sep. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Sheer.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/sheer. Accessed 19 Sep. 2025.

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