severe

[ suh-veer ]

/ səˈvɪər /

SEE SYNONYMS FOR severe ON THESAURUS.COM

adjective, se·ver·er, se·ver·est.

harsh; unnecessarily extreme: severe criticism; severe laws.

serious or stern in manner or appearance: a severe face.

grave; critical: a severe illness.

rigidly restrained in style, taste, manner, etc.; simple, plain, or austere.

causing discomfort or distress by extreme character or conditions, as weather, cold, or heat; unpleasantly violent, as rain or wind, or a blow or shock.

difficult to endure, perform, fulfill, etc.: a severe test of his powers.

rigidly exact, accurate, or methodical: severe standards.

Origin of severe

1540–50; < Latin sevērus, or back formation from severity

SYNONYMS FOR severe

2 strict, hard. See stern¹.

4 unadorned.

7 demanding, exacting.

SEE SYNONYMS FOR severe ON THESAURUS.COM

ANTONYMS FOR severe

1 lenient.

2 gentle.

SEE ANTONYMS FOR severe ON THESAURUS.COM

OTHER WORDS FROM severe

se·vere·ly, adverb se·vere·ness, noun o·ver·se·vere, adjective o·ver·se·vere·ly, adverb

o·ver·se·vere·ness, noun su·per·se·vere, adjective su·per·se·vere·ly, adverb su·per·se·vere·ness, noun un·se·vere, adjective un·se·vere·ly, adverb un·se·vere·ness, noun

Words nearby severe

severally, severalty, severance, severance pay, severance tax, severe, severe acute respiratory syndrome, severe combined immune deficiency, severe combined immunodeficiency, severinus, severity

Example sentences from the Web for severe

And that realization comes at the cost of severe, public embarrassment for many, including the victim/proposed.

Public Marriage Proposals Must Die |Tauriq Moosa |December 28, 2014 |DAILY BEAST
This concern ceased after the Spanish warned of severe punitive measures on the family members of suicides.

The Life and Hard Times Of The Family A Cuban Defector Left Behind |Brin-Jonathan Butler |December 19, 2014 |DAILY BEAST
“That was the longest, most severe S/M session I have experienced in my thirty-four-year tenure,” she writes in the book.

Whip It: Secrets of a Dominatrix |Justin Jones |November 25, 2014 |DAILY BEAST
The new term denotes a spectrum of problem drinking that can range from mild to moderate to severe.

Americans Drink Too Much, But We’re Not All Alcoholics |Gabrielle Glaser |November 25, 2014 |DAILY BEAST

And while such a severe punishment is questioned every few years, it works.

How UVA Is Failing Its Women |Allison McNearney |November 20, 2014 |DAILY BEAST
He is here, adorning, by a life of severe simplicity and divine benevolence, the doctrine he has espoused.

Aurelian |William Ware
The Roman conquest accelerated the decline in severe taste, when different orders began to be used indiscriminately.

Beacon Lights of History, Volume III |John Lord
Gerald had a severe attack of pneumonia, from which we had much ado to bring him back to health, and Rough was ill.

Happy Days for Boys and Girls |Various
But what had been the severe emotional disturbance for Arkalion?

Voyage To Eternity |Milton Lesser
But just then Mrs. Ogilvie gave Helen Douglas so severe a push with her foot, that she stopped, and got very red.

Daddy's Girl |L. T. Meade

British Dictionary definitions for severe

severe

/ (sɪˈvɪə) /

adjective

rigorous or harsh in the treatment of others; strict a severe parent

serious in appearance or manner; stern

critical or dangerous a severe illness

causing misery or discomfort by its harshness severe weather

strictly restrained in appearance; austere a severe way of dressing

hard to endure, perform, or accomplish a severe test

rigidly precise or exact

Derived forms of severe

severely, adverb severeness or severity (sɪˈvɛrɪtɪ), noun

Word Origin for severe

C16: from Latin sevērus

BROWSE DICTIONARY

Learning

severe

adjective, se·ver·er, se·ver·est.

Origin of severe

SYNONYMS FOR severe

ANTONYMS FOR severe

OTHER WORDS FROM severe

Words nearby severe

Example sentences from the Web for severe

British Dictionary definitions for severe

adjective

Derived forms of severe

Word Origin for severe

BROWSE DICTIONARY

Learning

severe

adjective, se·ver·er, se·ver·est.

Origin of severe

SYNONYMS FOR severe

ANTONYMS FOR severe

OTHER WORDS FROM severe

Words nearby severe

Words related to severe

Example sentences from the Web for severe

(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []) .push({}); British Dictionary definitions for severe

adjective

Derived forms of severe

Word Origin for severe

British Dictionary definitions for severe