Steep, abrupt, precipitous, sheer mean having an incline approaching the perpendicular Used to emphasize the large amount, size, or degree of something Steep implies such sharpness of pitch that ascent or descent is very difficult.
Sheer adjective (thin) sheer clothing or material is so thin, light, and delicate that you can see through it See ‘meaning & use’ for definitions, usage, and quotation evidence. See examples of sheer used in a sentence.
Definition of sheer adjective in oxford advanced learner's dictionary Meaning, pronunciation, picture, example sentences, grammar, usage notes, synonyms and more. Sheer [size, strength, expanse, number, weight, amount, force], [amazed, surprised, overwhelmed] by the sheer [size] of it, that was sheer stupidity!, more. Used to emphasize the amount or degree of something
Quotations the army's sheer size made it impossible to resist. You can use sheer to emphasize that a state or situation is complete and does not involve or is not mixed with anything else. There are 20 meanings listed in oed's entry for the word sheer, seven of which are labelled obsolete
