severe

[ suh-veer ]

See synonyms for: severe severely 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.

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.

Origin of severe

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

synonym study For severe

2. See stern¹.

Other words for severe

1	strict, heavy-handed, rigid, rigorous; draconian, punitive
2	austere, dour; forbidding, grim
3	serious
4	unadorned, stark, spartan
7	demanding, exacting

See synonyms for severe on Thesaurus.com

Opposites for severe

1	lenient, lax, tolerant
2	gentle, benign
5	mild, temperate
6	undemanding; easy, effortless, facile

See antonyms for severe on Thesaurus.com

Other words from severe

se·vere·ly, adverb
se·vere·ness, noun
o·ver·se·vere, adjective
o·ver·se·vere·ness, noun
su·per·se·vere, adjective
su·per·se·vere·ness, noun
un·se·vere, adjective
un·se·vere·ness, noun

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use severe in a sentence

He inculcates his students in political economy of the severest "virtue of selfishness" type.
David's Bookclub: Hard Times | David Frum | September 24, 2012 | THE DAILY BEAST
Any country that gives him refuge must be made to disgorge him, or else pay the severest price in sanctions.
The Case for Prosecuting Libya's Muammar Gaddafi | Geoffrey Robertson | March 1, 2011 | THE DAILY BEAST
The Marshal, in his Memoirs, asserts that this short campaign was the severest strain he ever underwent.
Napoleon's Marshals | R. P. Dunn-Pattison
The severest test of good breeding in a lady, is in the position of hostess, receiving dinner guests.
The Ladies' Book of Etiquette, and Manual of Politeness | Florence Hartley
He was at many of the severest battles of the war, and throughout the entire campaign rendered no little service to his country.
The Every Day Book of History and Chronology | Joel Munsell

Who has not copied the Parthenon as the severest in its proportions for public buildings for civic purposes?
Beacon Lights of History, Volume I | John Lord
The words of Charles Townsend were insulting to the colonists to the last degree, and were open to the severest rebuke.
The Loyalists of America and Their Times, Vol. 1 of 2 | Egerton Ryerson

British Dictionary definitions for severe

severe

/ (sɪˈvɪə) /

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

Origin of severe

C16: from Latin sevērus

Derived forms of severe

severely, adverb
severeness or severity (sɪˈvɛrɪtɪ), noun

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

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