What does "sliver" mean?
A long piece cut or rent off; a sharp, slender fragment.
Sliver
/ˈslɪv.ɚ/ noun, verb
noun, verb ·Moderate ·High school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: A long piece cut or rent off; a sharp, slender fragment.
- Grammar: sliver is listed as noun, verb.
- Nearest alternatives: splinter, a bit, bit, black sheep.
- Useful contrasts: abundance, assemble, blocs.
- Usage evidence: Our evidence is no more than a tiny sliver of solid knowledge amidst the vast bog of doubts and speculations.
How to use "sliver"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "sliver" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "sliver" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "sliver" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "sliver" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "sliver" is acting as noun, verb in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "splinter" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "sliver", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 A long piece cut or rent off; a sharp, slender fragment.
"This is the tasting ritual, the lay Eucharist of cheese. The buyer squeezes the sliver of cheese between his fingers to test its consistency, sniffs it, and then tastes it as delicately as if it were the most subtle caviar."
- 2 a thin fragment or slice (especially of wood) that has been shaved from something wordnet
- 3 A long piece cut or rent off; a sharp, slender fragment.; Specifically, a splinter caught under the skin. Canada, Essex, Kent
- 4 a small thin sharp bit of wood or glass or metal wordnet
- 5 A strand, or slender roll, of cotton or other fiber in a loose, untwisted state, produced by a carding machine and ready for the roving or slubbing which precedes spinning.
Show 3 more definitions
- 6 Bait made of pieces of small fish.
- 7 A narrow high-rise apartment building. New-York, US
- 8 A small amount of something; a drop in the bucket; a shred.
Verb
- 1 To cut or divide into long, thin pieces, or into very small pieces; to cut or rend lengthwise; to slit. transitive
"to sliver wood"
- 2 form into slivers wordnet
- 3 break up into splinters or slivers wordnet
- 4 divide into slivers or splinters wordnet
Synonyms
All synonymsExample
"Our evidence is no more than a tiny sliver of solid knowledge amidst the vast bog of doubts and speculations."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "sliver"?
Common synonyms include: splinter, a bit, bit, black sheep, blemish, butt.
How do you use "sliver" in a sentence?
Our evidence is no more than a tiny sliver of solid knowledge amidst the vast bog of doubts and speculations.
How do you pronounce "sliver"?
Pronounced /ˈslɪv.ɚ/.
Etymology
From Middle English slivere, sliver from Middle English sliven (“to cut, cleave, split”), from Old English slīfan (as in tōslīfan (“to split, split up”)).