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

The exact severity of the injury, and the timescale for recovery, will be finalised in the coming days, with Gabriel undergoing further assessment.

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Urbanization, climate disruption, land conversion, and loss of biodiversity increase the frequency and severity of harmful exposures.

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They report that climate change is likely to further increase the frequency and severity of these destructive floods in the coming decades.

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The 46-year-old said: "It didn't sink in for weeks that he had cancer and the severity of it, because he was stage four."

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"They go up quickly after damage to the kidneys, and they go up in relation to the severity of the injury. The worse the kidney injury is, the higher the ceramide levels will be."

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Related Words

• harshness www.thesaurus.com