sheer
Very thin or transparent.
Example
“Her light, sheer dress caught everyone’s attention.”
Other meanings
Downright; complete; pure.
“I think it is sheer genius to invent such a thing.”
Used to emphasize the amount or degree of something.
“The army's sheer size made it impossible to resist.”
Synonyms
- absolute
- out-and-out
- rank
- right-down
Word history
From Old English "sċǣre" (pure, sheer; shining, clear).
Where this comes from
This definition is adapted from “sheer” on Wiktionary, by its contributors; related-word lists use Open English WordNet (CC BY 4.0, based on Princeton WordNet), published under CC BY-SA 4.0. This page is published under the same licence.