sheer
Very thin or transparentVery thin or transparent.
Meaning
5 sensesVery thin or transparent.
Her light, sheer dress caught everyone’s attention.
hauchdünn, transparent, durchsichtig
прозра́чныйprozráčnyj
прозо́рийprozóryj
so thin as to transmit light
(broadly)Downright; complete; pure.
I think it is sheer genius to invent such a thing.
This poem is sheer nonsense.
steil, vertikal, senkrecht
по́лныйpólnyj, чи́стыйčístyj, вертика́льныйvertikálʹnyj
по́внийpóvnyj, чи́стийčýstyj, перпендикуля́рнийperpendykuljárnyj
Used to emphasize the amount or degree of something.
The army's sheer size made it impossible to resist.
bloß, schier, pur
су́щийsúščij, чи́стыйčístyj, настоя́щийnastojáščij
чи́стийčýstyj, і́стинийístynyj, спра́вжнійsprávžnij
Very steep; almost vertical or perpendicular.
It was a sheer drop of 180 feet.
very steep; having a prominent and almost vertical front
(obsolete)Pure in composition; unmixed; unadulterated.
Examples
69 sentencesIt's a sheer waste of time.
Це пусте гаяння часу. — Ahha
This is sheer nonsense.
Це повна нісенітниця. — deniko
deDas ist lauterer Unsinn. — brauchinet
That was sheer nonsense.
We survived by sheer luck.
ruМы выжили по чистой случайности. — Biga
It is a sheer waste of time.
Це тільки даремна трата часу. — deniko
ruЭто пустая трата времени. — marafon
deDas ist reine Zeitverschwendung. — Pfirsichbaeumchen
Translations
9 languagesBy meaning 4
By meaning 4
By meaning 3
Origin
From Middle English shere, scheere, schere, skere, from Old English sċǣre (“pure, sheer; sFrom Middle English shere, scheere, schere, skere, from Old English sċǣre (“pure, sheer; shining, clear”), from Proto-Germanic *skairiz; supplanted the semantically close shire (dialectal), from Middle English schyre, schire, shire, shir, from Old English sċīr (“clear, bright; brilliant, gleaming, shining, splendid, resplendent; pure”), beside which existed Middle English skyr, from Old Norse skírr (“pure, bright, clear”), both from Proto-Germanic *skīriz (“pure, sheer”), from Proto-Indo-European *(s)ḱeh₁y- (“luster, gloss, shadow”).
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Forms
sheerer/more sheer, sheerest/most sheer| Comparative | sheerer / more sheer Lesson |
|---|---|
| Superlative | sheerest / most sheer Lesson |
regular
Synonyms
66 synonyms- not mixed with extraneous elements:plainunmingledunmixed
- very steep; having a prominent and almost vertical front:bluffbold
- complete and without restriction or qualification; sometimes used informally as intensifiers:absolutedownrightout-and-outrankright-down
- so thin as to transmit light:diaphanousfilmygauzygauze-likegossamersee-throughtransparentvaporous
Antonyms
1 antonymsWord family
10 related wordsLessons for this word
2 lessons- A2Comparatives — Because it has a comparative form
- A2Superlatives — Because it has a superlative form