stern
adjective
firm, strict, or uncompromising.
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 Stern implies uncompromising, inflexible firmness, and sometimes a hard, forbidding, or withdrawn aspect or nature: a stern parent.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:
Commander of the Revolutionary Guards in the 1980s and 1990s, Rezaei has never been far from prominence, with his stern face and black beard a familiar presence for Iranians on TV.
From Barron's ● Aug. 20, 2026
Trump's Republican Party faces a stern test at upcoming midterm elections in November, with Democrats seeking to wrest control of both houses of Congress.
From Barron's ● Aug. 14, 2026
Following the Banyuetan report, other state media rushed to denounce insider leaks and demand a crackdown—such as by strengthening censorship algorithms and issuing stern punishments.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 10, 2026
Robert Del Naja and Grant Marshall were "given stern warnings" concerning alleged offences under two laws that restrict the public display of foreign flags and regulate political expressions at public events.
From BBC ● Aug. 2, 2026
There was a surprising touch of sympathy in her voice that contradicted her stern, dark eyes and hard-set mouth.
From "Beasts of Prey" by Ayana Gray
Mark Joseph Stern: This idea of republican virtue, lowercase r, civic virtue, the Framers were obsessed with it.
From Slate ● Aug. 17, 2026
Last week’s episode of Amicus included a mailbag special in which Dahlia Lithwick and Mark Joseph Stern answered listeners’ burning questions about the law.
From Slate ● Aug. 14, 2026
Chief executive Vivienne Stern said the grade profiles accepted by different universities were "more or less identical to the pattern in previous years".
From BBC ● Aug. 13, 2026
“It’s an insult,” said Nick Stern, a British news photographer who is suing the Los Angeles County after being struck by sheriff’s deputies while covering a protest in Paramount.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 12, 2026
In the film Schindler's List, there is a scene where Oskar Schindler rushes to the train station to save his accountant, Itzhak Stern, who had been seized in a roundup.
From "The Boy on the Wooden Box" by Leon Leyson
As near as I can tell, she has not got no wheel at all, side- or stern-.
From J. Poindexter, Colored by Irvin S. (Irvin Shrewsbury) Cobb
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 Rex Ellingwood Beach
"Forty, I should say — very handsome — rather stern- looking — and rich."
From Far from the Madding Crowd by Thomas Hardy
The men laid the fault on the stern- looking husband; the women, on the minx of a wife.
From Paul Clifford — Volume 06 by Edward Bulwer Lytton, Baron Lytton
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 Bret Harte
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
Casting as he goes along, he has recently signed stuffier sterns than Fabian, Sands and Anka.
From Time Magazine Archive
Young men in uniforms stood ready there to grab hold of the sterns of the boats when they arrived for the start.
From "The Boys in the Boat: Nine Americans and Their Epic Quest for Gold at the 1936 Berlin Olympics" by Daniel James Brown
With his latest, “Kontinental ’25,” Jude — who also put out a coarsely wacky version of “Dracula” last year — shifts away from clownishness and toward a sterner register of concern for society.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 3, 2026
Cerundolo provided a sterner test in the second set as he broke Draper's serve in the opening game.
From BBC ● Mar. 9, 2026
Much sterner tests lie ahead for Rosenior, starting with a visit from Premier League leaders Arsenal in the League Cup semi-final first leg on Wednesday.
From Barron's ● Jan. 10, 2026
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
He spent that afternoon with his orphans, even took up sword and shield himself to provide a sterner test for a few of the older lads.
From "A Dance with Dragons" by George R. R. Martin
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
In death penalty cases, the legal system is put to its sternest test.
From Salon ● Jun. 29, 2025
Having moved serenely through the group stage, this was India's sternest test.
From BBC ● Mar. 4, 2025
The day’s adventures had made Penelope feel rather bold, and she spoke in her sternest and most Swanburnian tone.
From "The Unseen Guest" by Maryrose Wood
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.
