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Glite Dictionary
💯 Completely 🪟 Thinly ⛰️ Steeply
sheerly

sheerly

6.4
In a very steep, almost vertical way
  • adverb
  • /ʃɪrli/
translation icon : verticalmente
  • The climbers faced the sheerly vertical cliff that seemed impossible to scale.

Examples

  • The mountain dropped sheerly to the valley below, leaving no safe path to descend.

  • On April 2nd, the foretop lookout of Boudeuse sighted a towering peak shaped like a sugarloaf and rising sheerly out of the ocean.

    Fiction book (1991)

  • The waterfall plunged sheerly down the rocky face, creating a breathtaking sight.

Synonyms

sharply
vssheerly
117 2.3

Suddenly and quickly, showing a large change in direction or amount

is specifically about steep downward slope rather than general sudden change
precipitously
vssheerly
13 7.6

Very quickly and suddenly, often causing a large change

is used for direct steep downward motion rather than sudden events
steeply
vssheerly
9 3.0

In a way that goes up or down on a very sharp slope

is more abrupt and directly downward rather than only sloping
sheer
vssheerly
4.5

In a straight up or down direction

is more about steep abrupt downward motion than pure verticality
vertiginously
vssheerly
9.8

Very steeply or in a way that makes you feel dizzy

is similar but stresses abrupt downward direction rather than dizziness

Antonyms

gradually
273 1.9

Slowly and steadily over time

How Steep

vertically
32 1.8
sheerly
6.4
steeply
9 3.0
gradually
273 1.9
gently
372 1.0

Surface Forms

sheerly positive

Morphology

sheerly = sheer (transparent) = sheer + ly

Productive adverbial formation from 'sheer' meaning 'steep/vertical' using the suffix '-ly'.

Etymology

Sheerly comes from sheer, which also carried the idea of being 'straight' or 'cut off', like the edge of a cliff. So when land or a drop goes sheerly, it falls 'directly down' or in a very steep, nearly vertical way.