severe

[ suh-veer ]

adjective

, se·ver·er, se·ver·est.

1. harsh; unnecessarily extreme:

   severe criticism; severe laws.

   Antonyms: tolerant, lax, lenient

2. serious or stern in manner or appearance:

   a severe face.

   Synonyms: grim, forbidding, dour, austere, punitive, draconian, rigorous, rigid, heavy-handed, strict

   Antonyms: temperate, mild, benign, gentle

3. threatening a seriously bad outcome or involving serious issues; grave:

   a severe illness.

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

   Synonyms: stark, serious, spartan

5. 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.
6. difficult to endure, perform, fulfill, etc.:

   a severe test of his powers.

7. rigidly exact, accurate, or methodical:

   severe standards.

   Synonyms: exacting, demanding

   Antonyms: facile, effortless, easy

severe

/ sɪˈvɪə; sɪˈvɛrɪtɪ /

adjective

1. rigorous or harsh in the treatment of others; strict

   a severe parent

2. serious in appearance or manner; stern
3. critical or dangerous

   a severe illness

4. causing misery or discomfort by its harshness

   severe weather

5. strictly restrained in appearance; austere

   a severe way of dressing

6. hard to endure, perform, or accomplish

   a severe test

7. rigidly precise or exact

Derived Forms

• seˈverely, adverb
• seˈvereness, noun

Other Words From

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of severe¹

First recorded in 1540–50; from Latin sevērus, or back formation from severity

Word History and Origins

Origin of severe¹

C16: from Latin sevērus

Synonym Study

See stern ¹.

Example Sentences

This is part of an intensive police and military operation to stop the practice that has severe environmental implications.

From BBC

Another goal of Measure A is to reduce the number of people on the street suffering from severe mental illness, which according to the latest census afflicts more than 15,000 of the county’s homeless people.

From Los Angeles Times

She wanted to know why one of her sons had returned from a holiday camp with bruises on his buttocks so severe that she took him to a doctor, who found a "12cm x 12cm bruise".

From BBC

She also started hearing voices, a sign of psychosis that can result from severe postnatal depression.

From BBC

His sister, Lourdes, fears for how the town will re-build with so much lost and now a severe lack of infrastructure.

From BBC

Related Words

• acute
• bitter
• dangerous
• drastic
• extreme
• fierce
• heavy
• intense
• punishing
• serious
• sharp
• tough
• violent