severe
Americanadjective
-
harsh; unnecessarily extreme.
severe criticism; severe laws.
-
serious or stern in manner or appearance.
a severe face.
-
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
Related Words
See stern 1.
Other Word Forms
- oversevere adjective
- oversevereness noun
- severely adverb
- severeness noun
- supersevere adjective
- supersevereness noun
- unsevere adjective
- unsevereness noun
Etymology
Origin of severe
First recorded in 1540–50; from Latin sevērus, or back formation from severity
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.
In all, there will be more than 150 beds available for people with mental health challenges, including 32 for young adults facing a severe crisis.
From Los Angeles Times
These plans are attractive to insurers because SNPs get higher per capita payments because enrollees have higher expected medical spending due to their more severe healthcare needs.
From MarketWatch
Verified videos showed severe damage to a cafe in the centre of Tehran and the shop's distraught owner inspecting the ruins.
From BBC
“In this case, the market has rightfully focused on the energy market first, making the need for a general uncertainty hedge less severe, albeit still relevant.”
From MarketWatch
A big problem was that early Mac sales success cloaked some of the severe technical problems that almost led to the company’s failure.
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.
