severity

[suh-ver-i-tee]

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.

Other Word Forms

• nonseverity noun
• overseverity noun
• superseverity noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of severity¹

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

Example Sentences

To assuage their fears, legislators added an amendment allowing cities to exempt those areas in the state’s very high fire hazard severity zones until about 2030.

From Los Angeles Times

He went for an MRI scan on Saturday evening to determine the severity of the issue.

From BBC

In a statement, Daera said formal enforcement action was normally considered for water pollution incidents which it deemed to have a "high" or "medium" severity.

From BBC

The summer signing from Chelsea was substituted at half-time of the Premier League match with City and has been undergoing tests to discover the severity of the problem.

From BBC

The severity of that is unknown, but it looked bad on replays and he had to be helped from the field.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• harshness www.thesaurus.com