DEFINITIONS
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stern

1
[ sturn ]
/ stɜrn /

adjective, stern·er, stern·est.

firm, strict, or uncompromising: stern discipline.
hard, harsh, or severe: a stern reprimand.
rigorous or austere; of an unpleasantly serious character: stern times.
grim or forbidding in aspect: a stern face.

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Words related to stern

tough, harsh, flinty, hard-nosed, strict, rigid, grim, steely, forbidding, rough, astringent, bitter, ascetic, austere, bullheaded, cruel, disciplinary, dyed-in-the-wool, hard, hard-boiled

Words nearby stern

sterling area, sterling bloc, sterling heights, sterling silver, sterlitamak, stern, stern chaser, stern drive, stern sheets, stern, isaac, stern-

Origin of stern

1
before 1000; Middle English; Old English styrne

SYNONYMS FOR stern

1, 2 adamant, unrelenting, unsympathetic, cruel, unfeeling. Stern, severe, harsh agree in referring to methods, aspects, manners, or facial expressions. Stern implies uncompromising, inflexible firmness, and sometimes a hard, forbidding, or withdrawn aspect or nature: a stern parent. Severe implies strictness, lack of sympathy, and a tendency to impose a hard discipline on others: a severe judge. Harsh suggests a great severity and roughness, and cruel, unfeeling treatment of others: a harsh critic.

ANTONYMS FOR stern

1 lenient.

OTHER WORDS FROM stern

stern·ly, adverbstern·ness, noun
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for sterner

British Dictionary definitions for sterner (1 of 3)

stern1
/ (stɜːn) /

adjective

showing uncompromising or inflexible resolve; firm, strict, or authoritarian
lacking leniency or clemency; harsh or severe
relentless; unyieldingthe stern demands of parenthood
having an austere or forbidding appearance or nature

Derived forms of stern

sternly, adverbsternness, noun

Word Origin for stern

Old English styrne; related to Old High German stornēn to alarm, Latin sternāx stubborn, Greek stereos hard

British Dictionary definitions for sterner (2 of 3)

stern2
/ (stɜːn) /

noun

the rear or after part of a vessel, opposite the bow or stem
the rear part of any object
the tail of certain breeds of dog, such as the foxhound or beagle

adjective

relating to or located at the stern

Word Origin for stern

C13: from Old Norse stjōrn steering; see steer 1

British Dictionary definitions for sterner (3 of 3)

Stern
/ (stɜːn) /

noun

Isaac. 1920–2001, US concert violinist, born in (what is now) Ukraine
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Idioms and Phrases with sterner

stern

see from soup to nuts (stem to stern).

The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.