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Glite Dictionary
steeply

steeply

9 3.0
In a way that goes up or down on a very sharp slope
  • adverb
  • /ˈstiːpli/
: bruscamente
  • A trail follows Gibbs Brook, then rises steeply as it climbs up the northwestern flank of Mount Pierce.
  • rise steeply
  • decline steeply
  • increase steeply

And yet crime in New York has fallen much more steeply than in Houston or Dallas.

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Examples

  • The palace itself rose in a steeply sloping pyramid in the center of the courtyard.

    Fiction book (1992)

  • In Germany, goods were abundant and wages rose steeply.

    Brexit: The Movie (2016)

  • You feel the click, click, click, click as the car gets pulled steeply up the track and you know the big drop is coming.

    DoctorRamani

  • The narrow road and the path that fell steeply away from it to the house.

    Fiction book (1999)

  • And yet crime in New York has fallen much more steeply than in Houston or Dallas.

    Big Think

  • The pack are now climbing steeply on this punishing course.

    Dream Horse (2021)

  • The moorland rose steeply to my right and fell sharply to my left.

    Fiction book (2001)

  • We were through the pass now and heading steeply downhill on that slick, narrow mountain road.

    Fiction book (2000)

  • From a maize field, the hill rises steeply in dense, tangled brush.

    Academic text (2007)

  • The path rises steeply as we approach the summit of the mountain.

Synonyms

sharply
vssteeply
80 2.3

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

describes an angled rise or fall rather than sudden intensity
precipitously
vssteeply
12 7.6

Very quickly and suddenly, often causing a large change

describes a sharp slope without implying sudden timing
vertiginously
vssteeply
1 9.8

Very steeply or in a way that makes you feel dizzy

focuses on an angled rise or fall without dizziness or speed
acutely
vssteeply
1 5.2

In a way that has a very sharp point or angle

is about an angled rise or fall, not mainly suddenness
sheerly
vssteeply
1 6.4

In a very steep, almost vertical way

is about a sharp slope but less necessarily vertical

Antonyms

gently
324 1.0

To do something with little force to avoid hurting or making noise

How Steep

precipitously
12 7.6
sharply
80 2.3
steeply
9 3.0
moderately
44 2.8
gently
324 1.0

Surface Forms

steeply positive

Morphology

steeply = steep (transparent) = steep + ly

The adverb is a regular derivation from the adjective 'steep' with the productive suffix '-ly', so the meaning is directly predictable.

Etymology

Steeply comes from the older word steep, which meant 'high' or 'having a sharp slope'. So, to say something changes steeply is to say it rises or falls quickly, like going down a steep hill.