severity

American  

[suh-ver-i-tee] / səˈvɛr ɪ ti /

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.

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Other Word Forms

• nonseverity noun
• overseverity noun
• superseverity noun

Etymology

Origin of severity

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

Example Sentences

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration closed its investigation into Tesla’s “Actually Smart Summon” feature due to low crash frequency and severity.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 6, 2026

The plaintiffs, ten of whom remain incarcerated, have received payments ranging from $50,000 to $200,000 based on the severity of their injuries, according to their attorney Robert Chalfant.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 28, 2026

The survey explored both how the participants perceived the nature and severity of the risk regarding Social Security, Medicare and fiscal policy, and how they might act to hedge the risk.

From MarketWatch • Mar. 27, 2026

The severity of seemingly mundane, everyday anxieties — school bullies, the prom, graduation, obnoxious Cher-obsessed college roommates — is on par with demons trying to hasten the apocalypse.

From Salon • Mar. 26, 2026

But the Director’s face, as he entered the Fertilizing Room with Henry Foster, was grave, wooden with severity.

From "Brave New World" by Aldous Huxley

Related Words

• harshness