severity

[ suh-ver-i-tee ]
/ səˈvɛr ɪ ti /

noun, plural se·ver·i·ties.

harshness, sternness, or rigor: Their lives were marked by severity.
austere simplicity, as of style, manner, or taste: The severity of the decor was striking.
intensity or sharpness, as of cold or pain.
grievousness; hard or trying character or effect: The severity of his loss was finally becoming apparent.
rigid exactness or accuracy.
an instance of strict or severe behavior, punishment, etc.

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a granular metamorphic rock.
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Origin of severity

1475–85; < Latin sevēritās, equivalent to sevēr(us) severe + -itās -ity

OTHER WORDS FROM severity

non·se·ver·i·ty, noun, plural non·se·ver·i·ties.o·ver·se·ver·i·ty, nounsu·per·se·ver·i·ty, noun

Words nearby severity

severe, severe acute respiratory syndrome, severe combined immune deficiency, severe combined immunodeficiency, severinus, severity, severn, severna park, severnaya zemlya, severodonetsk, severodvinsk
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

Words related to severities

harshness, strictness, sternness, sharpness, cruelty, acerbity, rigor, austerity, grimness, hardness, unkindness

Example sentences from the Web for severities