severity
Americannoun
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harshness, sternness, or rigor.
Their lives were marked by severity.
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austere simplicity, as of style, manner, or taste.
The severity of the decor was striking.
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intensity or sharpness, as of cold or pain.
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grievousness; hard or trying character or effect.
The severity of his loss was finally becoming apparent.
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rigid exactness or accuracy.
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an instance of strict or severe behavior, punishment, etc.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Etymology
Origin of severity
First recorded in 1475–85; from Latin sevēritās, from sevēr(us) severe + -itās -ity
Explanation
Severity is a plain, no-frills hardness––or the degree of hardness. You might talk about the severity of the northern winter, or the severity of your grandfather's discipline. Severity, with its root in severe, has several nuances. It can mean a hardship, like war’s severity. It also refers to an extreme plainness. Think of the severity of Amish life: no phones, cars, or other modern technology. And you might use it to describe your math teacher’s manner: his severity is indicated by his short, clipped sentences, angry stare, and propensity to fail students without mercy.
Vocabulary lists containing severity
This Week In Words: March 29–April 4, 2020
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Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
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Tears of a Tiger
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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.
“Much of the fire was a low burn severity, which is positive,” said Jack Oelfke, the leader of the on-site emergency response team.
From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 10, 2026
Every few years, the EIA would go over scenarios of oil jolts with varying degrees of severity in order to train the delegates on how to deal with their country’s strategic reserves, he said.
From MarketWatch • Jun. 9, 2026
As the severity of Nikki’s obsession heightens, we get a few brief glimpses of the real Nikki, stuck somewhere inside her own consciousness.
From Salon • Jun. 4, 2026
Flash PMIs for May showed that manufacturers across Asia-Pacific are feeling the strain of supply-chain disruptions, though the severity of the impact is unfolding at different speeds.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 29, 2026
The PSFs and camp controllers enforced the rule with the same level of severity they did with the kids who—however intentionally or unintentionally—used their abilities.
From "The Darkest Minds" by Alexandra Bracken
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.
