severely
Americanadverb
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in a very stern, strict, or harsh way.
One day he was caught taking a few pieces of scrap wood and was severely punished with two weeks of hard labor.
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to a grave, far-reaching, or critical degree; seriously.
Severely ill patients with kidney infections may be hospitalized until they can take fluids and medications on their own.
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in a very simple, plain, or austere style or manner.
She wore her hair severely tied back in a ponytail and refused to wear anything feminine.
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in a very challenging or exacting way that is difficult to endure.
The Great Depression severely tested the parish, as the church building was almost lost to creditors.
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to a distressing or highly uncomfortable degree.
Much of North America experiences periods of severely cold weather and is susceptible to snow and ice storms.
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of severely
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.
Severely disrupted London Underground services spurred Londoners to turn to bikes, buses and black cabs to make their way through the capital during the first working day of a Tube workers' strike.
From BBC • Sep. 8, 2025
Severely weakened, he took just three shots and finished with five points in 18 minutes.
From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 27, 2024
Severely restricting your spending for a short period can help you reset going forward, she adds.
From Seattle Times • Apr. 22, 2024
Severely wounded, Ms. Leutner crawled out of the woods and was found by a cyclist.
From New York Times • Apr. 11, 2024
Severely affected trees are subject to cold injury, and in addition the wood becomes very brittle and is easily broken by storms.
From Northern Nut Growers Association Report of the Proceedings at the Forty-Second Annual Meeting Urbana, Illinois, August 28, 29 and 30, 1951 by Northern Nut Growers Association
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.
