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.
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Stern implies uncompromising, inflexible firmness, and sometimes a hard, forbidding, or withdrawn aspect or nature: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.
OTHER WORDS FROM stern
stern·ly, adverb stern·ness, nounWords nearby stern
Example sentences from the Web for sternness
British Dictionary definitions for sternness (1 of 3)
stern
1
/ (stɜːn) /
adjective
showing uncompromising or inflexible resolve; firm, strict, or authoritarian
lacking leniency or clemency; harsh or severe
relentless; unyielding
the stern demands of parenthood
having an austere or forbidding appearance or nature
Derived forms of stern
sternly, adverb sternness, nounWord Origin for stern
Old English
styrne; related to Old High German
stornēn to alarm, Latin
sternāx stubborn, Greek
stereos hard
British Dictionary definitions for sternness (2 of 3)
stern
2
/ (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 sternness (3 of 3)
Stern
/ (stɜːn) /
noun
Isaac. 1920–2001, US concert violinist, born in (what is now) Ukraine
Idioms and Phrases with sternness
stern
see from soup to nuts (stem to stern).