severity

American  

[suh-ver-i-tee] / səˈvɛr ɪ ti /

noun

• severities
  plural

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

Derived Forms

• nonseverity
  noun
• overseverity
  noun
• superseverity
  noun

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• severities
  plural

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Etymology

Origin of severity

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

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Explanation

Severity is a plain, no-frills hardness––or the degree of hardness. You might talk about the severity of the northern winter, or the severity of your grandfather's discipline. Severity, with its root in severe, has several nuances. It can mean a hardship, like war’s severity. It also refers to an extreme plainness. Think of the severity of Amish life: no phones, cars, or other modern technology. And you might use it to describe your math teacher’s manner: his severity is indicated by his short, clipped sentences, angry stare, and propensity to fail students without mercy.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

severity severities

However, Bass later rolled back the directive in some areas, including single-family parcels, historic districts and very high fire severity zones.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 16, 2026

Symptoms may first emerge during infancy, childhood, or adulthood, and their severity and progression can differ depending on when the condition begins.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 13, 2026

Due to the potential severity here, approximately 200 people have also been placed under medical observation in Irkutsk, a region in eastern Siberia, and some hospitals have been placed under quarantine.

From Salon ● Oct. 5, 2026

The severity of the incident was uncovered by an audit from the Fed’s internal watchdog office, which published a report about the incident Thursday.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 28, 2026

One day, appraising himself with severity in the bathroom mirror, Lefty realized that he had become one of those older men who slicked their hair back in allegiance to an era no one could remember.

From "Middlesex: A Novel" by Jeffrey Eugenides

War risk cover is organised in seven "buckets" spanning different severities of conflict.

From BBC ● Sep. 21, 2025

Tailoring these materials could offer personalized solutions for various muscle loss severities.

From Science Daily ● Jan. 24, 2024

In an untreated forest, what some might see as fuel, others “see as incredible habitat for wildlife because it’s a mosaic of different burn severities that is extraordinarily biodiverse.”

From New York Times ● Jan. 5, 2022

He said Kazimir was accused of the lowest of three severities of crime in Slovakia’s penal code that is punishable by up to five years in prison, but gave no details of the case.

From Reuters ● Oct. 13, 2021

He knew about as much as was known about the anatomy of the brain and the symptoms and severities of lesion and thrombus.

From "East of Eden" by John Steinbeck

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Related Words

• harshness

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