severity

American  

[suh-ver-i-tee] / səˈvɛr ɪ ti /

noun

plural

severities

1. harshness, sternness, or rigor.

   Their lives were marked by severity.

2. austere simplicity, as of style, manner, or taste.

   The severity of the decor was striking.

3. intensity or sharpness, as of cold or pain.

4. grievousness; hard or trying character or effect.

   The severity of his loss was finally becoming apparent.

5. rigid exactness or accuracy.

6. an instance of strict or severe behavior, punishment, etc.

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Other Word Forms

• nonseverity noun
• overseverity noun
• superseverity noun

Etymology

Origin of severity

First recorded in 1475–85; from Latin sevēritās, from sevēr(us) severe + -itās -ity

Example Sentences

The survey explored both how the participants perceived the nature and severity of the risk regarding Social Security, Medicare and fiscal policy, and how they might act to hedge the risk.

From MarketWatch • Mar. 27, 2026

The severity of seemingly mundane, everyday anxieties — school bullies, the prom, graduation, obnoxious Cher-obsessed college roommates — is on par with demons trying to hasten the apocalypse.

From Salon • Mar. 26, 2026

“Oil markets, already at $110 per barrel, would likely breach $120 in the immediate aftermath, with further upside depending on the severity of the damage sustained,” says Rystad Energy in a note.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 20, 2026

Symptom severity was also similar in both groups.

From Science Daily • Mar. 15, 2026

I cannot call them handsome—they were too pale and grave for the word: as they each bent over a book, they looked thoughtful almost to severity.

From "Jane Eyre" by Charlotte Brontë

Related Words

• harshness