sternly

[sturn-lee]

adverb

1. in a firm, strict, or austere way.

   Unless the government sternly cracks down on the underground economy, citizens will never pay their taxes diligently.

2. in a harsh, severe, or grim way.

   Any baker caught mixing sawdust with bread or butcher selling horse meat as beef was immediately and sternly punished.

Word History and Origins

Origin of sternly¹

First recorded before 1000; stern ¹ ( def. ) + -ly ( def. )

Example Sentences

A deeply religious man — he has “Only God Can Judge Me” sternly tattooed across his back — Jem is on a mission whose purpose will only slowly be revealed.

From Los Angeles Times

“I think there needs to be a more robust Democratic Party, and I don't think all these sternly worded letters get it done,” he said, adding.

From Salon

"Nothing else, no rank or anything," Kit says sternly.

From BBC

"Yes, we used to see him all the time when he came here," he said, interrupting himself to sternly invite tourists to put their phones away or cover their shoulders.

From BBC

Also on Thursday, a congressional committee on education that has focused its ire on elite schools it believes to have failed to protect Jewish students sent a sternly worded letter to Pomona College in Claremont.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

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• painfully www.thesaurus.com
• seriously 
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• sorely 
• strictly