Sheer vs Massive - What's the difference?

sheer | massive |

As adjectives the difference between sheer and massive

is that sheer is (textiles) very thin or transparent while massive is .

As an adverb sheer

is (archaic) clean; quite; at once.

As a noun sheer

is (nautical) the curve of the main deck or gunwale from bow to stern.

As a verb sheer

is (chiefly|nautical) to swerve from a course.

sheer

English

Etymology 1

From (etyl) (m), (m), (m), (m), from (etyl) .

Adjective

(en-adj)

(textiles) Very thin or transparent.

* '>citation

(obsolete) Pure; unmixed.

* Shakespeare

sheer ale

* Shakespeare

Thou sheer , immaculate, and silver fountain.

Being only what it seems to be; mere.

* 2012 , July 15. Richard Williams in Guardian Unlimited, Tour de France 2012: Carpet tacks cannot force Bradley Wiggins off track

Cycling's complex etiquette contains an unwritten rule that riders in contention for a race win should not be penalised for sheer misfortune.

Very steep; almost vertical or perpendicular.

Used to emphasize the amount or degree of something.

, title=The Mirror and the Lamp , chapter=2 citation , passage=That the young Mr. Churchills liked—but they did not like him coming round of an evening and drinking weak whisky-and-water while he held forth on railway debentures and corporation loans. Mr. Barrett, however, by fawning and flattery, seemed to be able to make not only Mrs. Churchill but everyone else do what he desired. And if the arts of humbleness failed him, he overcame you by sheer impudence.}}

* 2012 October 31, David M. Halbfinger, "[http://www.nytimes.com/2012/11/01/nyregion/new-jersey-continues-to-cope-with-hurricane-sandy.html?hp]," New York Times (retrieved 31 October 2012):

Perhaps as startling as the sheer toll was the devastation to some of the state’s well-known locales. Boardwalks along the beach in Seaside Heights, Belmar and other towns on the Jersey Shore were blown away. Amusement parks, arcades and restaurants all but vanished. Bridges to barrier islands buckled, preventing residents from even inspecting the damage to their property.

Synonyms

* (very thin or transparent) diaphanous, see-through, thin * downright, mere, pure, undiluted, unmitigated * (straight up and down) perpendicular, steep, vertical

Adverb

(en adverb)

(archaic) clean; quite; at once.

(Milton)

Etymology 2

; see also (m).

Noun

(en noun)

(nautical) The curve of the main deck or gunwale from bow to stern.

(nautical) An abrupt swerve from the course of a ship.

Verb

(en verb)

(chiefly, nautical) To swerve from a course.

A horse sheers at a bicycle.

* 1899 ,

I sheered her well inshore—the water being deepest near the bank, as the sounding–pole informed me.

(obsolete) To shear.

(Dryden)

References

(Webster 1913)

Anagrams

massive

English

Adjective

(en adjective)

Of or pertaining to a large mass; weighty, heavy, or bulky.

* {{quote-book, year=1959, author=(Georgette Heyer), title=(The Unknown Ajax), chapter=1

, passage=But Richmond

Much larger than normal.

* {{quote-magazine, date=2013-06-21, author= Chico Harlan

, volume=189, issue=2, page=30, magazine=(The Guardian Weekly) , title= Japan pockets the subsidy […] , passage=Across Japan, technology companies and private investors are racing to install devices that until recently they had little interest in: solar panels. Massive solar parks are popping up as part of a rapid build-up that one developer likened to an "explosion."}}

Of great significance or import; overwhelming.

* {{quote-magazine, date=2013-07-20, volume=408, issue=8845, magazine=(The Economist)

, title= The attack of the MOOCs , passage=Since the launch early last year of […] two Silicon Valley start-ups offering free education through MOOCs, massive open online courses, the ivory towers of academia have been shaken to their foundations. University brands built in some cases over centuries have been forced to contemplate the possibility that information technology will rapidly make their existing business model obsolete.}}

(label) Of a specimen not exhibiting crystal form.

Of particularly exceptional quality or value; awesome.

* {{quote-newsgroup, year=1995, date=November 29, author=harry knowles, newsgroup=rec.arts.sf.movies

, title= INDEPENDENCE DAY-----------MASSIVE COOL SPOILERS DON'T OPEN IF YOU DON'T WANT TO KNOW , passage=Ok true believers here is the low down of massive coolness.}}

* {{quote-newsgroup, year=1998, date=February 13, author=David Farrar, newsgroup=Re: Te Papa

, title= nz.reg.wellington.general , passage=Heaps excited about it - I'm planning for a massive day.}}

* {{quote-newsgroup, year=1998, date=July 2, author=super disco dan, newsgroup=alt.music.beastie-boys

, title= Deasties rock the Hurricane- 06/21/98 , passage=saw the beasties last week in GERMANY at a massive little party called the Hurricane Festival outside Hamburg and here's how it all shook down

* {{quote-newsgroup, year=2003, date=June 11, author=Glenn Wendyhouse, newsgroup=uk.people.gothic

, title= WENDYHOUSE June 21st , passage=OPEN THROUGH THE SUMMER: We are on the 3rd Saturday of the month, remain at the same venue, at the same price, at the same times and always give you a massive night out to remember (unless you've drunk too much bargain University booze!).}}

* {{quote-newsgroup, year=2010, date=July 30, author=Robbie, newsgroup=uk.music.charts

, title= Re: Survivable album chart from 2001 , passage=I own this one, bought it because I liked Slide. The album is quite dull. They were massive back in the day}}

Possessing mass.

Synonyms

* (of or pertaining to a large mass) bulky, heavy, hefty, substantial, weighty * (much larger than normal) colossal, enormous, gargantuan, giant, gigantic, great, huge, mahoosive (slang), titanic * (of great significance or import) consequential, meaningful, overwhelming, significant, weighty * (of grandeur ) awesome, super, excellent, stupendous

Antonyms

* (of or pertaining to a large mass) insubstantial, light * (much larger than normal) dwarf, little, microscopic, midget, minuscule, pint-sized, tiny, wee * (of great significance or import) inconsequential, insignificant, piddling, trifling, trivial, unimportant * (of grandeur ) lame, stale, disappointing, crappy * (of having a positive mass) massless

Derived terms

* mahoosive (slang) * massively * massiveness * MOOC (massive open online course)

Noun

(en noun)

(mineralogy) A homogeneous mass of rock, not layered and without an obvious crystal structure.

karst massives in western Georgia

Anagrams

* ----