steeper

steeper is the comparative form of steep.

Noun

steeper (plural steepers)

A vessel, vat, or cistern in which things are steeped.
- The piping A', B', C' is arranged so that the contents of each cistern can be passed through any one of the steepers. The steepers have perforated false bottoms, shown in plan in Fig. 2, […]1879, H. Wilson, patent 4035, in Patents for Inventions: Abridgments of Specifications: […], page 38
The stem of a shrub or small tree in a hedgerow, often laid by being partially cut through at the base in the process of laying a hedge.
(England, Scotland) A downpour; a soaking rain.
- "Thou may weel say a time like this," replied Ab, switchign the rain from his hat, "for it's a steeper, and nought else. It's I've bin th' weetest back - end we'n had this ten year! down to th' market, an' just as I coom by th' Cross, owd Job Sutcliffe, th' barber, axed me to co' wi' a pair o'...1878, Edwin Waugh, The Hermit Cobbler, page 46
- It's a steeper, nah, is this, an' reight an' all.1898 May 7, Leeds Merc. Suppl., quoted in the EDD

steep (comparative steeper, superlative steepest)

Of a near-vertical gradient; of a slope, surface, curve, etc. that proceeds upward or downward at an angle approaching vertical.
- a steep hill or mountain; a steep roof; a steep ascent; a steep barometric gradient
Synonyms:

brant, hilly

Antonyms:

shallow, gentle, easy
(informal) Expensive.
- Twenty quid for a shave? That's a bit steep.
Synonyms:

costly, pricey, spendy, 5-star, big-ticket, chargeful, cheap at half the price, costful, cost-prohibitive, fancy
(obsolete) Difficult to access; not easy reached; lofty; elevated; high.
- Her ears and thoughts in steep amaze erected1596, George Chapman, De Guiana, carmen Epicum
(or a car's windshield) resulting in a mast or windshield angle that strongly diverges from the perpendicular.
- The steep rake of the windshield enhances the fast lines of the exterior.

plural	steepers

From steep + -er.

What does steeper mean?: Steeper means a vessel, vat, or cistern in which things are steeped.
What is steeper the comparative form of?: Steeper is the comparative form of steep.
What part of speech is steeper?: Steeper is a noun.
What is the plural of steeper?: The plural of steeper is steepers.

Adapted from Wiktionary: steeper (page history and authors); steep (page history and authors). Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws reformatted the entry and added links. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.

Last updated: 2026-09-02

Pronunciation audio from Wikimedia Commons, each file under its own free license: LL-Q1860 (eng)-Flame, not lame-steeper.wav.

Cite this entry: “steeper.” Word.ws, https://word.ws/steeper. Based on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.