sheer — nothing other than; complete and total
Part of speech: ADJECTIVE
Definition: nothing other than; complete and total
Pronunciation (IPA): /ʃɪr/
Example Sentences
- My cat's sheer audacity to steal my pizza while maintaining eye contact is impressive.
- The sheer number of notifications on my phone after one hour offline is terrifying.
- It took sheer willpower not to eat the entire chocolate cake.
sheer
ADJECTIVE[/ʃɪr/]
nothing other than; complete and total
The exhausted climber reached the summit through sheer determination alone.
The climber survived by sheer courage alone.
The hikers stopped near the sheer drop before fear made them step back.
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🎤Pronunciation
🌳Etymology
Origin
From Middle English 'sheer' and Old English 'scīr', related to Old Norse 'skærr' meaning bright or clear. The sense of 'complete/utter' developed from the original meaning of 'clear' or 'pure'.
Breakdown
sheer (single morpheme, no productive breakdown) - originally meant 'bright, clear, pure' in Old English, later extended to mean 'complete, total, unmixed'
🎵Rhyme
🔗Collocations
📝Examples
“My cat's sheer audacity to steal my pizza while maintaining eye contact is impressive.”
“The sheer number of notifications on my phone after one hour offline is terrifying.”
“It took sheer willpower not to eat the entire chocolate cake.”
“The sheer curtains allowed sunlight to filter through gently.”
📚Related Words
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