What's the difference between absolute and sheer?

Absolute


Definition:

  • (a.) Loosed from any limitation or condition; uncontrolled; unrestricted; unconditional; as, absolute authority, monarchy, sovereignty, an absolute promise or command; absolute power; an absolute monarch.
  • (a.) Complete in itself; perfect; consummate; faultless; as, absolute perfection; absolute beauty.
  • (a.) Viewed apart from modifying influences or without comparison with other objects; actual; real; -- opposed to relative and comparative; as, absolute motion; absolute time or space.
  • (a.) Loosed from, or unconnected by, dependence on any other being; self-existent; self-sufficing.
  • (a.) Capable of being thought or conceived by itself alone; unconditioned; non-relative.
  • (a.) Positive; clear; certain; not doubtful.
  • (a.) Authoritative; peremptory.
  • (a.) Pure; unmixed; as, absolute alcohol.
  • (a.) Not immediately dependent on the other parts of the sentence in government; as, the case absolute. See Ablative absolute, under Ablative.
  • (n.) In a plane, the two imaginary circular points at infinity; in space of three dimensions, the imaginary circle at infinity.

Example Sentences:

  • (1) The absolute recoveries of diazepam, nordazepam and flurazepam in human milk were 84, 86 and 92% and in human plasma 97, 89 and 94%, respectively.
  • (2) Other haematological parameters remained normal, with the exception of the absolute number of lymphocytes, which initially fell sharply but soon returned to, and even exceeded, control levels.
  • (3) No relationship was found with the absolute value of either peak or area GH.
  • (4) The guanethidine treatment resulted in an 86% absolute reduction in cell number in the superior cervical ganglia of 15 day old rats.
  • (5) The absolute level of ventilatory capacity resembles that of Nepalese children and differs from that of some other groups.
  • (6) Lipoprotein electrophoresis on agarose gel has been modified to allow estimation of the absolute quantity of each fraction.
  • (7) Paired tolbutamide and glucose infusions using a square wave technique demonstrated that although early phase insulin secretion is dimished in the fetus, this is not due to an absolute deficiency of stored insulin.
  • (8) Significant differences in the pharmacological characteristics of the alpha 2 adrenoceptor were observed between the tissues with reference to both absolute drug affinities as well as rank order of drug potency.
  • (9) This stimulation is mediated by one receptor with an apparent affinity of 3.3 X 10(-6) M. The hydroxyl group in the para position on phenylethanolamine was absolutely necessary to obtain an agonist whereas the meta hydroxyl group or the presence of a catechol almost suppressed the activity.
  • (10) The early absolute but transient dependence of these A-MuLV mast cell transformants on a fibroblast feeder suggests a multistep process in their evolution, in which the acquisition of autonomy from factors of mesenchymal cell origin may play an important role.
  • (11) From this it is clear that either an absolute increase in radiographic density or structural failure are the earliest radiological features.
  • (12) So far, attempts to produce linolenic acid deficiency in mammals have not revealed an absolute requirement for n-3 fatty acids.
  • (13) "We absolutely regret the setbacks Kim Dotcom has had since MegaUpload was taken offline, but we hope he as an entrepreneur will understand our side of the story and the decisions deliberately taken."
  • (14) But we sent out reconnoitres in the morning; we send out a team in advance and they get halfway down the road, maybe a quarter of the way down the road, sometimes three-quarters of the way down the road – we tried this three days in a row – and then the shelling starts and while I can’t point the finger at who starts the shelling, we get the absolute assurances from the Ukraine government that it’s not them.” Flags on all Australian government buildings will be flown at half-mast on Thursday, and an interdenominational memorial service will be held at St Patrick’s cathedral in Melbourne from 10.30am.
  • (15) The prime minister said: “I am taking absolutely nothing for granted.
  • (16) DR(+) cells, however, showed no change in percentage and a lesser drop in absolute numbers, suggesting an increase with advancing disease of DR(+), Ig(-) null cells, which may represent immature B cell precursors.
  • (17) The wide variation in potency explains the variation found in absolute bioavailability, and the increase in release rate when the pellets are crushed explains the differences seen in peak plasma times, since the pellets will be chewed to varying degrees by the horse.
  • (18) Methods are in development that will allow determination of absolute blood flow in pertinent vessels via IV-DSA.
  • (19) When using pair stimula, barbamil shortens the period of absolute nonexcitation and the second phase of depression in the cycle of restituted H-reflexes to the second stimula in the pair.
  • (20) Immune complex- and A23187-induced 20:4 release was absolutely dependent on extracellular Ca2+.

Sheer


Definition:

  • (v. i.) Bright; clear; pure; unmixed.
  • (v. i.) Very thin or transparent; -- applied to fabrics; as, sheer muslin.
  • (v. i.) Being only what it seems to be; obvious; simple; mere; downright; as, sheer folly; sheer nonsense.
  • (v. i.) Stright up and down; vertical; prpendicular.
  • (adv.) Clean; quite; at once.
  • (v. t.) To shear.
  • (v. i.) To decline or deviate from the line of the proper course; to turn aside; to swerve; as, a ship sheers from her course; a horse sheers at a bicycle.
  • (n.) The longitudinal upward curvature of the deck, gunwale, and lines of a vessel, as when viewed from the side.
  • (n.) The position of a vessel riding at single anchor and swinging clear of it.
  • (n.) A turn or change in a course.
  • (n.) Shears See Shear.

Example Sentences:

  • (1) Problems associated with school-based clinics include vehement opposition to sex education, financing, and the sheer magnitude of the adolescents' health needs.
  • (2) They argue that the US, the world's largest producer of greenhouse gases per capita (China recently surpassed us in sheer volume), needs to lead the fight to limit carbon emissions, rather continuing to block global treaties as it has done in the past.
  • (3) But with the advantages and attractions that Scotland already has, and, more importantly, taking into account the morale boost, the sheer energisation of a whole people that would come about because we would finally have our destiny at least largely back in our own hands again – I think we could do it.
  • (4) Obviously, the sheer number of lasers being used both clinically and experimentally indicates a great potential for further advancement and refinement in technique and surgical outcomes.
  • (5) I was amazed by the sheer scale of the operation, easily mistaken for a full military assault on a kraken.
  • (6) We can inhabit only one version of being human – the only version that survives today – but what is fascinating is that palaeoanthropology shows us those other paths to becoming human, their successes and their eventual demise, whether through failure or just sheer bad luck.
  • (7) The report, extracts of which were published by the investigative news website Exaro , is said to include “devastating detail” of the corporation’s “sheer scale of awareness” of the late star’s activities.
  • (8) There is a policy review process, a manifesto and the small matter of winning another election between here and catastrophe, but the sheer barbarism of the outlined idea is breathtaking.
  • (9) Back in the 1970s, a severe economic crisis revealed the sheer unsustainability of government policies.
  • (10) So we started asking them ridiculous questions about being single," says Lucas, "and the sheer number of misunderstandings about each other's lives felt like comedic material."
  • (11) He skirted round the issue of historic responsibility for the misery but referred to the sheer scale of the sacrifice, pointing out that, among more than 14,000 parishes in the whole of England and Wales, only about 50 so-called "thankful parishes" saw all their soldiers return.
  • (12) But all that has changed since I discovered the sheer joy of hunting down items with “reduced” stickers at my local Waitrose.
  • (13) TUC general secretary Brendan Barber welcomed the letters, which argue against the Conservative party's position that the sheer scale of the UK deficit means public spending must be cut immediately.
  • (14) This year though, the annual fest of tit tape, weepy self-congratulation and sheer star power will be remembered for more than a frock faux pas: there was a serious cock-up .
  • (15) Brown, from Sheerness in Kent, who was to earn £15,000 a year from the role, has apologised for causing offence with the messages she posted between the ages of 14 and 16.
  • (16) I hope that people feel inspired enough, maybe in the sheer face of loss, to just do what they should be doing in life.
  • (17) David Winnick, the MP for Walsall North, said: "None of [May's] excuses can explain away the sheer incompetence and shambles that have occurred on her watch."
  • (18) Through combination with a spherical disc face perpendicular to the axis of rotation, which protrudes only slightly from the hemispherical catheter tip, with a maximum at the center and minimum at the lateral borders, the lathing head has only a slight risk of perforation and no undesired sheering forces (Figures 2a to 2d).
  • (19) Redwoods are taller, but giant sequoias win for sheer mass: the General Sherman's trunk has a volume of 1,487 cubic metres and is estimated to weigh over 2,000 tonnes.
  • (20) "Some of you may have heard we have a new judge this year," said Forsyth, summoning his finest brow-raise and hauling the audience at least temporarily on side by sheer force of showbiz will.