What does sheer mean?
Sheer is a versatile adjective, noun, and verb. Its most common meaning is absolute or unqualified, as in sheer luck or sheer courage; here it stresses that something is completely one thing, without dilution or qualification. Sheer can also describe a very steep slope or cliff, and as a noun it refers to thin, translucent fabric. Less commonly, sheer means to turn sharply aside, a usage especially associated with sailing. The word often adds emphasis and can sometimes suggest exaggeration, as in sheer absurdity, although it is also used precisely to describe an uninterrupted quality. In its adjective senses, sheer is followed by qualities, conditions, or physical features rather than by the thing possessing the quality: there was sheer luck, a sheer cliff. Its historical development has produced several related meanings in modern English, but its current use is dominated by the ideas of completeness, steepness, and translucence.
Absolute, complete, and without qualification; also, extremely steep.
"The proposal met with sheer opposition."
The two senses are distinct but both are common. Sheer luck and sheer cliff illustrate the respective meanings.
A thin, translucent fabric, especially for clothing or curtains.
"The curtain was made of pale sheer."
To turn sharply aside, especially to avoid another vessel, an obstacle, or danger.
"The ship sheered to starboard."
The plural is used for separate pieces or lengths of sheer fabric or for articles made from it.
"The designer chose several layers of delicate sheers for the window."
When something happens by sheer chance, the result is so improbable that it seems to belong in a story rather than a normal day.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does sheer come from?
The word sheer has several English historical developments and its precise origins are complicated. Its principal modern senses reflect older uses associated with purity or completeness, extreme steepness, and thinness or transparency. The nautical sense of turning sharply aside developed in the context of sailing, where the related expression sheer off describes a vessel altering its course away from an obstacle or another vessel.
Related word forms
How sheer is actually used
In the sense of absolute or complete, sheer commonly emphasizes the strength or purity of a quality: sheer luck, sheer courage, sheer nonsense. In the sense of steep, it describes a slope or drop that is almost vertical. The noun is commonly used for thin translucent fabric, while the verb is relatively technical and especially associated with sailing.
Easily confused with sheer
Sheer means absolute or steep, whereas shear means to cut with scissors or to force sideways.