severe
Americanadjective
-
harsh; unnecessarily extreme.
severe criticism; severe laws.
-
serious or stern in manner or appearance.
a severe face.
- Synonyms:
- grim, forbidding, dour, austere, punitive, draconian, rigorous, rigid, heavy-handed, strict
-
threatening a seriously bad outcome or involving serious issues; grave.
a severe illness.
-
rigidly restrained in style, taste, manner, etc.; simple, plain, or austere.
-
causing discomfort or distress by extreme character or conditions, as weather, cold, or heat; unpleasantly violent, as rain or wind, or a blow or shock.
-
difficult to endure, perform, fulfill, etc..
a severe test of his powers.
-
rigidly exact, accurate, or methodical.
severe standards.
- Antonyms:
- facile, effortless, easy
adjective
-
rigorous or harsh in the treatment of others; strict
a severe parent
-
serious in appearance or manner; stern
-
critical or dangerous
a severe illness
-
causing misery or discomfort by its harshness
severe weather
-
strictly restrained in appearance; austere
a severe way of dressing
-
hard to endure, perform, or accomplish
a severe test
-
rigidly precise or exact
Synonym Usage
See stern 1.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Etymology
Origin of severe
First recorded in 1540–50; from Latin sevērus, or back formation from severity
Explanation
Whether you're talking about a punishment, the weather, or how bad your flu is, severe indicates that it's at the limit of the spectrum. The austerity of a word like severe serves many purposes. The common usage is to describe tough or painful stuff, like icy snowstorms, merciless punishments, or grim conditions (e.g., a severe depression). If things are severe, they're serious. Severe could also describe a person's haircut if it's brutally short and angular, or their wardrobe if it tends to be all black with no flourishes.
Vocabulary lists containing severe
The SAT: Words to Capture Tone, List 3
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Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone
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The SAT: Multiple-Meaning Words, List 4
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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.
At times, when Victoria's homelessness became more obvious, the consequences could be severe.
From BBC • Jun. 10, 2026
Analysts warn that a severe El Niño could raise global food commodity prices by up to 9%.
From MarketWatch • Jun. 8, 2026
He said given South Korea's heavy reliance on exports, they could not withstand severe global sanctions for attempting to go nuclear in violation of international rules.
From Barron's • Jun. 8, 2026
In January, it signaled it might buy yen, then under severe downward pressure.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 7, 2026
There was something purposefully severe and offhanded in Franklin’s manner of speaking; she delivered her lecture as if reading the Soviet evening news.
From "The Gene" by Siddhartha Mukherjee
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.
