Definition of "steep" []

• Having a sharp inclination; precipitous. (adjective)
• At a rapid or precipitous rate: a steep rise in salaries. (adjective)
• Excessive; stiff: a steep price. (adjective)
• Ambitious; difficult: a steep undertaking. (adjective)
• A precipitous slope. (noun)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

• "At this point in what he describes as a steep learning curve, Tjian does not foresee major changes at HHMI."
• "State industries still dominate the Chinese economy, even though they are in steep decline."
• "Supposedly the Church of England is in steep decline in England itself."