stern
1firm, strict, or uncompromising: stern discipline.
hard, harsh, or severe: a stern reprimand.
rigorous or austere; of an unpleasantly serious character: stern times.
grim or forbidding in aspect: a stern face.
Origin of stern
1synonym study For stern
Other words for stern
Opposites for stern
Other words from stern
- stern·ly, adverb
- stern·ness, noun
Other definitions for stern (2 of 4)
the after or rear part of a vessel (often opposed to bow or stem): The ship's stern was a glory of brightly painted carved figures of knights and mythical beasts.
the back or rear of anything.
Stern, Astronomy. the constellation Puppis.
Fox Hunting. the tail of a hound.
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.
Origin of stern
2Other definitions for Stern (3 of 4)
Isaac, 1920–2001, U.S. violinist, born in Russia.
Otto, 1888–1969, U.S. physicist, born in Germany: Nobel Prize 1943.
Other definitions for stern- (4 of 4)
variant of sterno- before a vowel: sternite.
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024
How to use stern in a sentence
But British parking attendants are made of sterner stuff than that.
London Parking Warden Tickets Hillary Clinton's Car | Tom Sykes | October 15, 2013 | THE DAILY BEASTBut I doubt it would be enough to make a dent in Bishop Williamson, who seems to be made of sterner stuff.
It was difficult to describe—a little sterner, a little wilder, a faint emphasis of the barbaric peering through it.
The Wave | Algernon BlackwoodFrom that hour dated a new and sterner conception of the task that lay before him and every other Briton in the country.
The Red Year | Louis TracyBut this was but a passing phase, and soon the thirst for glory called the young soldier to sterner things.
Napoleon's Marshals | R. P. Dunn-Pattison
On these occasions he was sterner than usual with Eudora, who chafed under the firm rein held upon her, and longed to be free.
The Cromptons | Mary J. HolmesIn September, 1791, the call to arms summoned the fire-eating captain of the National Guard to sterner scenes.
Napoleon's Marshals | R. P. Dunn-Pattison
British Dictionary definitions for stern (1 of 3)
/ (stɜːn) /
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
Origin of stern
1Derived forms of stern
- sternly, adverb
- sternness, noun
British Dictionary definitions for stern (2 of 3)
/ (stɜːn) /
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
relating to or located at the stern
Origin of stern
2British Dictionary definitions for Stern (3 of 3)
/ (stɜːn) /
Isaac. 1920–2001, US concert violinist, born in (what is now) Ukraine
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Other Idioms and Phrases with stern
see from soup to nuts (stem to stern).
The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
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