stern
adjective
firm, strict, or uncompromising.
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stern
1 American
[sturn]
/ stɜrn /
adjective
-
sterner,
comparative
-
sternest
superlative
-
firm, strict, or uncompromising.
stern discipline.
- Synonyms:
- unfeeling, cruel, unsympathetic, unrelenting, adamant
- Antonyms:
- lenient
-
hard, harsh, or severe.
a stern reprimand.
- Synonyms:
- unfeeling, cruel, unsympathetic, unrelenting, adamant
-
rigorous or austere; of an unpleasantly serious character.
stern times.
-
grim or forbidding in aspect.
a stern face.
stern
2
American
[sturn]
/ stɜrn /
noun
-
sterns
plural
-
the after or rear part of a vessel (often opposed to bow orstem ).
The ship's stern was a glory of brightly painted carved figures of knights and mythical beasts.
-
the back or rear of anything.
-
Astronomy. Stern, the constellation Puppis.
-
Fox Hunting. the tail of a hound.
verb (used with or without object)
-
to be the person paddling, steering, working, etc., at the rear of (a vessel).
When you're bird-watching, it's much better to be paddling up front than sterning the canoe.
-
to propel or steer (a vessel) with the after or rear part leading.
We pulled up to the dock 15 minutes later and managed to stern in before dark.
Stern
3
American
[sturn]
/ stɜrn /
noun
-
Isaac, 1920–2001, U.S. violinist, born in Russia.
-
Otto, 1888–1969, U.S. physicist, born in Germany: Nobel Prize 1943.
stern-
4
American
stern
1
British
/ stɜːn /
adjective
-
showing uncompromising or inflexible resolve; firm, strict, or authoritarian
-
lacking leniency or clemency; harsh or severe
-
relentless; unyielding
the stern demands of parenthood
-
having an austere or forbidding appearance or nature
stern
2
British
/ stɜːn /
noun
-
the rear or after part of a vessel, opposite the bow or stem
-
the rear part of any object
-
the tail of certain breeds of dog, such as the foxhound or beagle
adjective
Stern
3
British
/ stɜːn /
noun
stern
Idioms
Synonym Usage
Stern, severe, harsh agree in referring to methods, aspects, manners, or facial expressions. Stern implies uncompromising, inflexible firmness, and sometimes a hard, forbidding, or withdrawn aspect or nature: a stern parent. Severe implies strictness, lack of sympathy, and a tendency to impose a hard discipline on others: a severe judge. Harsh suggests a great severity and roughness, and cruel, unfeeling treatment of others: a harsh critic.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Adjectives
Etymology
Origin of stern1
First recorded before 1000; Middle English; Old English styrne
Origin of stern2
First recorded in 1250–1300; Middle English sterne, probably from Old Norse stjōrn “steering” ( see sternpost)
Explanation
You know when you've done something really wrong, and the person who gets you in trouble has that unforgiving look on his face? The best word for that look is stern, meaning "strict" or "severe." Stern, strict, severe, harsh, unforgiving — they all more or less mean the same thing, which is very tough and exacting, with a little helping of seriousness thrown in for good measure. What does this have to do with the stern of a boat, also known as the rear area? Um, nothing? But it's good to know about that meaning too, since it could come in handy some day when you're giving directions on a ship.
Vocabulary lists containing stern
Words Every Pirate Should Know
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"The Raven" by Edgar Allan Poe
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List 6
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
The blaze originated in the stern, sending passengers fleeing to the bow where they were all given life jackets, Muhammad said.
From Barron's ● Aug. 3, 2026
The scene, which Günes said last took place two months ago, is a snapshot not from a stern theocracy ruled by capricious clerics, but from the capital of Europe’s largest economy.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 19, 2026
All this might have been dismissed as frivolous chatter - until state media and authorities chimed in with stern words for Xie.
From BBC ● Jul. 3, 2026
“She had red hair like —” Robin prompts in the manner of a stern third-grade teacher.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 18, 2026
She turns to give him a stern look.
From "The Last Cuentista" by Donna Barba Higuera
Mr. Segram is an adjunct assistant professor of finance at the New York University Stern School of Business.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 4, 2026
In mitigation, Elliott Stern told the court his client had tried to deal with the dispute without resorting to killing the fish.
From BBC ● Aug. 4, 2026
Like a dozen other regulars, Bonnie Stern talked about the social hub the Aquatics Center creates.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 1, 2026
In Episode 3 of By the People, equal-marriage campaign architect Marc Solomon joins Dahlia Lithwick and Mark Joseph Stern to trace the movement’s “quixotic” beginnings in 2001.
From Slate ● Aug. 1, 2026
Stern barked impatiently, or as John Lawrence, a witness to the encounter, recalled Stern’s words in his own fractured German: “Sie mussen Zurich gehen!”His meaning was clear: “Get back to the lab!”
From "Big Science" by Michael Hiltzik
The men laid the fault on the stern- looking husband; the women, on the minx of a wife.
From Paul Clifford — Volume 06 by Lytton, Edward Bulwer Lytton, Baron
Upon closer approach the river shore was seen to be lined with scows and rowboats; a stern- wheeled river steamer lay moored abreast of the town.
From The Winds of Chance by Beach, Rex Ellingwood
"Forty, I should say — very handsome — rather stern- looking — and rich."
From Far from the Madding Crowd by Hardy, Thomas
As near as I can tell, she has not got no wheel at all, side- or stern-.
From J. Poindexter, Colored by Cobb, Irvin S. (Irvin Shrewsbury)
In a few days I presented myself to a tall, stern- visaged man, who was slowly pacing the leeward side of the quarter- deck.
From The Luck of Roaring Camp and Other Tales With Condensed Novels, Spanish and American Legends, and Earlier Papers by Harte, Bret
Navy said Revolutionary Guard vessels repeatedly crossed the bows and sterns of several American ships at close range and high speed in the northern Gulf.
From Washington Times ● Apr. 22, 2020
With the sterns half-ashore, breakers could then cut in and dismantle the ships laterally, as a snacker might eat through a baguette.
From The Guardian ● May 2, 2017
Thousands of office workers rush past it every day without noticing its three bay windows carved as the sterns of baroque frigates, complete with waves, dolphins and trailing seaweed.
From New York Times ● Feb. 27, 2015
Except for the sterns of a couple of steamers, the sets are routine Broadway.
From Time Magazine Archive
The fog was closing over the two ships, curling over their sterns and sails.
From "The Reader" by Traci Chee
Fireworks can frighten animals and send them scattering, but Jackie and Shadow’s eaglets apparently are made of sterner stuff.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 6, 2026
Rosenior will face a sterner test in his first home game on Wednesday when Chelsea host Premier League leaders Arsenal in the League Cup semi-final first leg.
From Barron's ● Jan. 10, 2026
Both of O'Neill's Premiership matches have been at home and sterner tests than Falkirk and Kilmarnock await.
From BBC ● Nov. 9, 2025
But it remains to be seen whether this president and the country he leads are ready for the sterner tests to come.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 13, 2025
“Let them come. In me they shall find a sterner foe than Cleon. I would sooner perish fighting than return my children to bondage.”
From "A Dance with Dragons" by George R. R. Martin
It was probably the sternest test the Americans have faced in the tournament.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 2, 2026
The blockage in the Persian Gulf poses the sternest test the reserves have ever faced.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 9, 2026
The challenge comes just as investors’ appetite for risk, and sentiment regarding tech stocks, face their sternest tests since the launch of ChatGPT in November 2022.
From Barron's ● Feb. 5, 2026
Serbia, in those more hostile surroundings, will present the sternest challenge of Tuchel's reign.
From BBC ● Sep. 6, 2025
A guidance counselor came by and gave Kitty her sternest voice and shook several of her fingers at her.
From "145th Street: Short Stories" by Walter Dean Myers
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
