austere

adjective

aus·​tere ȯ-ˈstir 

 also  -ˈster

1

a

: stern and cold in appearance or manner

an austere… figure too remote for love from his children.

—Eileen Lockwood

b

: somber, grave

… austere critics who decry sentimentality …

—Fisun Güner

2

: morally strict : ascetic

… austere old-world Calvinism …

—Timothy P. Carney

3

: markedly simple or unadorned

an austere office

known for an austere writing style

… the austere beauty of a winter snow scene.

—Susan Windram

4

: giving little or no scope for pleasure

austere diets

lived an austere life in the country

also : harsh, inhospitable

… austere environments such as the desert where food and water can be scarce …

—Trevor Cullen

5

of a wine : having the flavor of acid or tannin predominant over fruit flavors usually indicating a capacity for aging

austerely adverb

austereness noun

Synonyms of austere

• strict
• harsh
• tough
• authoritarian
• rigorous
• rigid
• stern
• severe

Choose the Right Synonym for austere

severe, stern, austere, ascetic mean given to or marked by strict discipline and firm restraint.

severe implies standards enforced without indulgence or laxity and may suggest harshness.

severe military discipline

stern stresses inflexibility and inexorability of temper or character.

stern arbiters of public morality

austere stresses absence of warmth, color, or feeling and may apply to rigorous restraint, simplicity, or self-denial.

living an austere life in the country

ascetic implies abstention from pleasure and comfort or self-indulgence as spiritual discipline.

the ascetic life of the monks

Examples of austere in a Sentence

This is a national conceit that is the comprehensible result of the religious beliefs of the early New England colonists (Calvinist religious dissenters, moved by millenarian expectations and theocratic ideas), which convinced them that their austere settlements in the wilderness represented a new start in humanity's story. —William Pfaff, New York Review, 15 Feb. 2007

For many of us with no firsthand familiarity with Greece, it's easy to forget that its celebrated ruins are a distortion and that we behold its ancient culture in its bare-bones lineaments. The austere white buildings of the Acropolis were once painted and parti-colored structures. —Brad Leithauser, New York Times Book Review, 26 Mar. 2006

I cut off my long dark hair, put on the habit (and it was quite becoming, in an austere sort of way), wrapped a big rosary around my waist, threw the cloak over my shoulders and set out. —Albert E. Cowdrey, Fantasy & Science Fiction, March 2005

Certain kinds of landscapes—volatile ocean environments, sculpturally seductive alpine peaks, austere polar regions—became infused with what philosopher Edmund Burke called "a sort of delightful horror." —James Balog, American Photo, May/June 2004

They choose austere furnishings for the office.

He was known for his austere style of writing.

They lived an austere life in the country.

Recent Examples on the Web

Lady Gaga has worn the habit in music videos and on tour, while designers including Rick Owens have frequently played with the cloth caps’ austere form. —Jacqui Palumbo, CNN Money, 30 Oct. 2025

In Ruth, Kate Riley portrays the interior life of her title character with a richness that is at odds with Ruth’s austere Anabaptist community. —Joanna Biggs, The New York Review of Books, 30 Oct. 2025

The austere budgets could bring cuts in social services, staff reductions and consolidation of programs for local nonprofits, Brown Grosvenor said. —Mimi Whitefield, Miami Herald, 28 Oct. 2025

Burton nailed her debut Givenchy show for fall 2025, an exhilarating display of new silhouettes, including dramatic hourglass coats and jackets, geometric baby-doll dresses and austere gowns. —Miles Socha, Footwear News, 28 Oct. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Middle English, from Anglo-French, from Latin austerus, from Greek austēros harsh, severe; akin to Greek hauos dry — more at sere

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Rhymes for austere

• adhere
• ameer
• amir
• appear
• arrear
• astir
• career
• cashier
• cohere
• compere
• emir
• endear

Kids Definition

austere

adjective

aus·​tere ȯ-ˈsti(ə)r 

1

: stern and unfriendly in appearance and manner

2

: living a harsh life with few pleasures : ascetic

3

: simple sense 4a, unadorned

an austere room

austerely adverb