severe

se·vere  (s-vîr)

adj. se·ver·er, se·ver·est

1. Unsparing, harsh, or strict, as in treatment of others: a severe critic.

2. Marked by or requiring strict adherence to rigorous standards or high principles: a severe code of behavior.

3. Stern or forbidding, as in manner or appearance: spoke in a severe voice.

4. Extremely plain in substance or style: a severe black dress.

5. Causing great discomfort, damage, or distress: a severe pain; a severe storm.

6. Very dangerous or harmful; grave or grievous: severe mental illness.

7. Extremely difficult to perform or endure; trying: a severe test of our loyalty.

---

[Latin sevrus, serious, strict; see segh- in Indo-European roots.]

---

se·verely adv.

se·vereness n.

Synonyms: severe, stern¹, austere, ascetic, strict
These adjectives mean unsparing and exacting with respect to discipline or control. Severe implies adherence to rigorous standards or high principles and often suggests harshness: "Praise or blame has but a momentary effect on the man whose love of beauty in the abstract makes him a severe critic on his own works" (John Keats).
Stern suggests unyielding disposition, uncompromising resolution, or forbidding appearance or nature: "a man fatally stern and implacable" (George Meredith).
Austere connotes aloofness or lack of feeling or sympathy, and often rigid morality: Austere officers demand meticulous conformity with military regulations.
Ascetic suggests self-discipline and often renunciation of worldly pleasures for spiritual improvement: "Be systematically ascetic ... do ... something for no other reason than that you would rather not do it" (William James).
Strict means requiring or showing stringent observance of obligations, rules, or standards: "He could not be severe nor even passably strict" (W.H. Hudson).

---

severe

Adjective

1. strict or harsh in the treatment of others: a severe parent

2. serious in appearance or manner: a severe look, a severe hairdo

3. very intense or unpleasant: severe chest pains, the punishments are severe

4. causing discomfort by its harshness: severe frost

5. hard to perform or accomplish: a severe challenge [Latin severus]

severely adv
severity n

Thesaurus

Adj.	1.	severe - intensely or extremely bad or unpleasant in degree or quality; "severe pain"; "a severe case of flu"; "a terrible cough"; "under wicked fire from the enemy's guns"; "a wicked cough" terrible, wicked intense - possessing or displaying a distinctive feature to a heightened degree; "intense heat"; "intense anxiety"; "intense desire"; "intense emotion"; "the skunk's intense acrid odor"; "intense pain"; "enemy fire was intense"
	2.	severe - very strong or vigorous; "strong winds"; "a hard left to the chin"; "a knockout punch"; "a severe blow" knockout, hard strong - having strength or power greater than average or expected; "a strong radio signal"; "strong medicine"; "a strong man"
	3.	severe - severely simple; "a stark interior" austere, stark, stern plain - not elaborate or elaborated; simple; "plain food"; "stuck to the plain facts"; "a plain blue suit"; "a plain rectangular brick building"
	4.	severe - unsparing and uncompromising in discipline or judgment; "a parent severe to the pitch of hostility"- H.G.Wells; "a hefty six-footer with a rather severe mien"; "a strict disciplinarian"; "a Spartan upbringing" spartan nonindulgent, strict - characterized by strictness, severity, or restraint
	5.	severe - causing fear or anxiety by threatening great harm; "a dangerous operation"; "a grave situation"; "a grave illness"; "grievous bodily harm"; "a serious wound"; "a serious turn of events"; "a severe case of pneumonia"; "a life-threatening disease" grievous, life-threatening, dangerous, grave, serious critical - being in or verging on a state of crisis or emergency; "a critical shortage of food"; "a critical illness"; "an illness at the critical stage"
	6.	severe - very bad in degree or extent; "a severe worldwide depression"; "the house suffered severe damage" bad - having undesirable or negative qualities; "a bad report card"; "his sloppy appearance made a bad impression"; "a bad little boy"; "clothes in bad shape"; "a bad cut"; "bad luck"; "the news was very bad"; "the reviews were bad"; "the pay is bad"; "it was a bad light for reading"; "the movie was a bad choice"

---

severe

adjective 1. serious, critical, terrible, desperate, alarming, extreme, awful, distressing, appalling, drastic, catastrophic, woeful, ruinous

adjective 2. acute, extreme, intense, burning, violent, piercing, racking, searing, tormenting, exquisite, harrowing, unbearable, agonizing, insufferable, torturous, unendurable

adjective 3. tough, hard, difficult, taxing, demanding, fierce, punishing, exacting, rigorous, stringent, arduous, unrelenting << OPPOSITE easy

adjective 4. strict, hard, harsh, cruel, rigid, relentless, drastic, oppressive, austere, Draconian, unrelenting, inexorable, pitiless, unbending, iron-handed << OPPOSITE lenient

adjective 5. grim, serious, grave, cold, forbidding, stern, sober, disapproving, dour, unsmiling, flinty, strait-laced, tight-lipped << OPPOSITE genial

adjective 6. plain, simple, austere, classic, restrained, functional, Spartan, ascetic, unadorned, unfussy, unembellished << OPPOSITE fancy

adjective 7. harsh, cutting, biting, scathing, satirical, caustic, astringent, vitriolic, mordant, unsparing, mordacious << OPPOSITE kind

Translations

severe [sɪˈvɪəʳ] adj → severo (= serious); grave (= hard); duro; [pain] → intenso

---

severe [sɪˈvɪəʳ] adj (= stern) → sévère, strict(e) (= serious); grave, sérieux/euse (= hard); rigoureux/euse, dur(e) (= plain); sévère, austère

---

severe [sɪˈvɪəʳ] adj (damage, shortage) → schwer;

(pain) → stark;

(person, expression, dress, winter) → streng;

(punishment) → hart;

(climate) → rau

---

severe [sɪˈvɪəʳ] adj → severo/a (= serious); serio/a, grave (= hard); duro/a (= plain); semplice, sobrio/a

---

severe

adj severe [səˈviə]

1 (of something unpleasant) serious; extreme severe shortages of food; a severe illness; Our team suffered a severe defeat. erge شَديد، خَطير остър vážný alvorlig schlimm σοβαρός grave, serio äge, raske سخت ankara, vaikea grave חָמוּר कठोर, कड़ा, सख्त ozbiljan, opasan komoly parah alvarlegur grave, serio 深刻な 위중한, 심한 aštrus, didelis, sunkus smags; nopietns teruk ernstig alvorlig, hard, voldsom poważny sério grav серьёзный, тяжёлый vážny; ťažký težek ozbiljan svår เลวร้ายมาก; อย่างหนัก çok kötü, ağır 嚴重的 тяжкий, серйозний سخت، شدید gay go, khốc liệt 严重的

2 strict or harsh a severe mother; severe criticism. erge قارِس، لاذِع строг přísný, příkrý streng streng,scharf αυστηρός severo karm جدي ankara sévère מַחמִיר कड़ा, सख्त oštar, bezobziran szigorú keras harður, óvæginn severo きびしい 엄한, 가혹한 griežtas bargs; stingrs keras streng streng, hard srogi, ostry severo sever, strict строгий, суровый prísny, ostrý strog žestok sträng, hård เข้มงวด; รุนแรง sert, hoşgörüsüz 嚴厲地 суворий; строгий سخت khắt khe, gay gắt 严厉地

3 (of style in dress etc) very plain a severe hairstyle. eenvoudig بَسيط، غَيْر مُزَخْرَف прост strohý enkel schlicht λιτός austero lihtsajooneline ساده koruton austère קַפדָנִי सादा, अनलंकृत strog egyszerű sederhana einfaldur, látlaus sobrio, austero 地味な 간소한, 수수한 griežtas vienkāršs; stingrs tidak menarik sober enkel, streng prosty severo auster простой, строгий strohý preprost jednostavan enkel, strikt เรียบมาก gösterişsiz, sade 樸素的 невигадливий, простий سادہ giản dị 朴素的

adv seˈverely

eenvoudig بِشِدَّه، بِقَسْوَه строго vážně, přísně alvorligt; hårdt streng σοβαρά, αυστηρά, λιτά severamente karmilt به سختي ankarasti sévèrement בְּקַפדָנוּת कठोरतापूर्वक, सादगी से, प्रचण्डता से strogo, žestoko szigorúan, egyszerűen secara parah harkalega severamente きびしく 엄격하게; 심하게 smarkiai, griežtai smagi; bargi; stingri dengan teruk streng strengt, hardt; alvorlig poważnie, ostro severamente sever строго, сурово vážne, prísne strogo strogo svårt อย่างเข้มงวด; อย่างรุนแรง şiddetle 嚴厲地 суворо; тяжко سختی سے giản dị, khốc liệt 严厉地

n seˈverity [-ˈve-]

the severity of the punishment; the severity of her dress. eenvoud, ergheid شِدَّه، قَسْوَه строгост přísnost; strohost alvor; strenghed; enkelhed die Strenge σοβαρότητα, αυστηρότητα, λιτότητα severidad karmus, lihtsus سختي ankaruus, koruttomuus sévérité חוּמרָה कठोरता, सख्ती strogost, oštrina komolyság kekerasan harka; einfaldleiki severità 厳しさ 엄격; 수수함 sunkumas, griežtumas smagums; bardzība; stingrība kekerasan strengheid strenghet, hard behandling srogość, surowa prostota severidade severitate суровость; строгость prísnosť; strohosť strogost strogost stränghet ความเข้มงวด; ความรุนแรง şiddet, ciddiyet 嚴重，樸素 суворість; жорстокість شدت tính giản dị, khốc liệt 严重，朴素