as in harshly
in a manner so as to cause loss or suffering
sternly reprimanded the prosecuting attorney for making comments that never should have been heard by the jury
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Recent Examples of sternly
That church, by the way, is of the sternly Evangelical variety, and the Gheorghius take it very seriously indeed.
—
Guy Lodge, Variety, 18 May 2026
The aunties who sternly monitor the tables here will take and deliver your order, but please do not expect guidance or friendship.
—Ligaya Mishan, New York Times, 11 May 2026
Did DeSantis call Uthmeier on the carpet and sternly instruct him to follow the law?
—Orlando Sentinel Editorial Board, The Orlando Sentinel, 22 Mar. 2026
After sternly addressing the company executives who put the city through a year-long court battle, the Leavenworth Planning Commission on Monday evening voted 5-1 to recommend granting CoreCivic’s zoning application to operate for at least three years.
—Matthew Kelly
february 3, Kansas City Star, 3 Feb. 2026
The lawsuit comes days after Austin voters sternly rejected a 20% property tax increase as the city struggles to overcome a budget deficit.
—Dante Motley, Austin American Statesman, 6 Nov. 2025
This folly—which Iran has sternly warned against—is immoral, unjustified, and unlawful.
—Amira El-Fekki, MSNBC Newsweek, 2 Sep. 2025
Sulmona gave the Catholic world a pope, Innocent VII in the 15th century, but Piazza XX Settembre is the location of Sulmona’s foremost historical figure, the greatest of all Roman poets, Ovid, whose bronze statue stands sternly atop a pedestal.
—John Mariani, Forbes.com, 5 Aug. 2025
Guy Lodge, Variety, 18 May 2026
The aunties who sternly monitor the tables here will take and deliver your order, but please do not expect guidance or friendship.
—Ligaya Mishan, New York Times, 11 May 2026
Did DeSantis call Uthmeier on the carpet and sternly instruct him to follow the law?
—Orlando Sentinel Editorial Board, The Orlando Sentinel, 22 Mar. 2026
After sternly addressing the company executives who put the city through a year-long court battle, the Leavenworth Planning Commission on Monday evening voted 5-1 to recommend granting CoreCivic’s zoning application to operate for at least three years.
—Matthew Kelly
february 3, Kansas City Star, 3 Feb. 2026
The lawsuit comes days after Austin voters sternly rejected a 20% property tax increase as the city struggles to overcome a budget deficit.
—Dante Motley, Austin American Statesman, 6 Nov. 2025
This folly—which Iran has sternly warned against—is immoral, unjustified, and unlawful.
—Amira El-Fekki, MSNBC Newsweek, 2 Sep. 2025
Sulmona gave the Catholic world a pope, Innocent VII in the 15th century, but Piazza XX Settembre is the location of Sulmona’s foremost historical figure, the greatest of all Roman poets, Ovid, whose bronze statue stands sternly atop a pedestal.
—John Mariani, Forbes.com, 5 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for sternly
Adverb
-
The peak came as the Great Recession, touched off by a housing and financial crisis, rippled harshly through the global economy.—
Kenneth R. Gosselin,
Hartford Courant,
14 June 2026
-
Political dissent can be harshly policed outside the stadium, but domestic clubs’ most ardent fan groups, often called ultras, are brazenly outspoken in their cheering.—
Dan Greene,
New Yorker,
12 June 2026
Adverb
-
This reliance on ad budgets severely restricts the company in the mind of the market.—
Jim Cramer,
CNBC,
21 June 2026
-
Without that asset, the Heat’s package is severely degraded.—
Ira Winderman,
Sun Sentinel,
20 June 2026
Adverb
-
Fortunately, this spell of hot temps will be a generally drier heat — not necessarily oppressively humid like is typical for New England.—
Rick Sobey,
Boston Herald,
19 May 2026
-
The first of the four chapters is an oppressively gray-toned, narratively diffuse spy thriller, set amid the mists of what appears to be the Second World War.—
Justin Chang,
New Yorker,
18 Dec. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Sternly.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/sternly. Accessed 24 Jun. 2026.
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