severe

[ suh-veer ]

/ səˈvɪər /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR severe ON THESAURUS.COM

adjective, se·ver·er, se·ver·est.

harsh; unnecessarily extreme: severe criticism; severe laws.

serious or stern in manner or appearance: a severe face.

grave; critical: 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.

Nearby words

Origin of severe

1540–50; < Latin sevērus, or back formation from severity

SYNONYMS FOR severe

2. strict, hard. See stern¹. 4. unadorned. 7. demanding, exacting.

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR severe ON THESAURUS.COM

ANTONYMS FOR severe

1. lenient. 2. gentle.

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Related forms

se·vere·ly, adverbse·vere·ness, nouno·ver·se·vere, adjectiveo·ver·se·vere·ly, adverb

o·ver·se·vere·ness, nounsu·per·se·vere, adjectivesu·per·se·vere·ly, adverbsu·per·se·vere·ness, nounun·se·vere, adjectiveun·se·vere·ly, adverbun·se·vere·ness, noun

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for severely

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, joining in the chorus, severely berates Tehran for its role in the Levant.
The Nuclear Deal That Iran’s Regime Fears Most|Djavad Khadem|November 22, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Last year he was severely criticized for his handling of a land deal with a neighbor in financial distress.
What the Hell Happened in Vermont?!|Stuart Stevens|November 13, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Between 1999 and 2008, the number of severely intoxicated young women who wound up in E.R.s rose by 52 percent.
Elizabeth Peña and the Truth About Alcoholic Women|Gabrielle Glaser|October 24, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The turbulent waters caused one of his oars to crack, which—without a motor or a sail—can be severely detrimental to his voyage.
Victor Mooney’s Epic Adventure for His Dead Brother|Justin Jones|October 19, 2014|DAILY BEAST

Since the outbreak began in March, global mobilization efforts to combat the epidemic have been severely delayed.
Obama Warns UN of Looming Ebola ‘Catastrophe’|Abby Haglage|September 25, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Let us not be thought to judge too severely of the forms adopted by the German philosophers.
Fundamental Philosophy, Vol. I (of 2)|Jaime Luciano Balmes
The British consul was dragged out of his carriage, and severely injured.
With Kitchener in the Soudan|G. A. Henty
"The lasso is of Comanche make," went on the mountain man, severely frowning again.
The Red River Half-Breed|Gustave Aimard
"Now, don't you look that surprised way at me," said Drusilla severely.
Drusilla with a Million|Elizabeth Cooper
But, on the other hand, where the application is severely circumscribed, no fall of price will avail to extend the demand.
The Posthumous Works of Thomas De Quincey, Vol. II (2 vols)|Thomas De Quincey

British Dictionary definitions for severely

severe

/ (sɪˈvɪə) /

adjective

rigorous or harsh in the treatment of others; stricta severe parent

serious in appearance or manner; stern

critical or dangerousa severe illness

causing misery or discomfort by its harshnesssevere weather

strictly restrained in appearance; austerea severe way of dressing

hard to endure, perform, or accomplisha severe test

rigidly precise or exact

Derived Formsseverely, adverbsevereness or severity (sɪˈvɛrɪtɪ), noun

Word Origin for severe

C16: from Latin sevērus

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

Word Origin and History for severely

severely

adv.

1540s, from severe + -ly (2). Colloquial sense of "excessively" attested by 1854.

severe

adj.

1540s, from Middle French severe (12c., Modern French sévère) or directly from Latin severus "serious, grave, strict, austere" (see severity). From 1660s with reference to styles or tastes; from 1725 of diseases.

severe

adjective, se·ver·er, se·ver·est.

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Origin of severe

Examples from the Web for severely

severe

adjective

Word Origin for severe

severely

severe