severe

[suh-veer]

adjective

severer, severest 

1. harsh; unnecessarily extreme.

   severe criticism; severe laws.

   Antonyms: tolerant, lax, lenient

2. serious or stern in manner or appearance.

   a severe face.

   Synonyms: grim, forbidding, dour, austere, austere, punitive, draconian, rigorous, rigid, heavy-handed, strict
   Antonyms: temperate, mild, benign, gentle

3. threatening a seriously bad outcome or involving serious issues; grave.

   a severe illness.

4. rigidly restrained in style, taste, manner, etc.; simple, plain, or austere.

   Synonyms: stark, serious, spartan

5. 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.

6. difficult to endure, perform, fulfill, etc..

   a severe test of his powers.

7. rigidly exact, accurate, or methodical.

   severe standards.

   Synonyms: exacting, demanding
   Antonyms: facile, effortless, easy

severe

/ sɪˈvɪə, sɪˈvɛrɪtɪ /

adjective

1. rigorous or harsh in the treatment of others; strict

   a severe parent

2. serious in appearance or manner; stern

3. critical or dangerous

   a severe illness

4. causing misery or discomfort by its harshness

   severe weather

5. strictly restrained in appearance; austere

   a severe way of dressing

6. hard to endure, perform, or accomplish

   a severe test

7. rigidly precise or exact

Other Word Forms

• severely adverb
• severeness noun
• oversevere adjective
• oversevereness noun
• supersevere adjective
• supersevereness noun
• unsevere adjective
• unsevereness noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of severe¹

First recorded in 1540–50; from Latin sevērus, or back formation from severity

Word History and Origins

Origin of severe¹

C16: from Latin sevērus

Synonym Study

See stern ¹.

Example Sentences

This contraction was driven by a surge in Chinese silver exports in October, mostly shipped to London, where severe shortages have occurred.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

An amber Met Office severe weather warning for rain is in force across south Wales, while multiple yellow warnings are in force for many western areas of the UK.

Read more on BBC

“A severe blow to Logic” is how a character describes the death of a philosophy professor in Stoppard’s 1972 play “Jumpers.”

Read more on Los Angeles Times

The researchers found that infants who suffer severe RSV infections in their first months of life are more likely to develop immune responses that overreact to common allergens, including house dust mites.

Read more on Science Daily

But there are no details about how to begin to generate growth and stability, just as the UN's trade agency warns that the strip is going through the most severe economic crisis ever recorded.

Read more on BBC

Related Words

• acute 
• bitter 
• dangerous 
• drastic 
• extreme 
• fierce 
• heavy 
• intense 
• punishing 
• serious 
• sharp 
• tough 
• violent