austerity
noun
aus·ter·i·ty
ȯ-ˈster-ə-tē 
-ˈste-rə-
also -ˈstir-ə-
plural austerities
1
: the quality or state of being austere: such as
a
: a stern and serious quality
the formal austerity of his manner
b
: a plain and simple quality
the austerity of the design
2
: enforced or extreme economy especially on a national scale
lived through years of austerity after the war
fiscal austerity
a series of austerity measures [=measures taken to reduce spending]
3
a
: an austere act, manner, or attitude
monastic self-denial and austerities
b
: an ascetic (see ascetic sense 1) practice
Examples of austerity in a Sentence
the austerity of the design
The austerity of their lifestyle was surprising.
They lived through years of austerity after the war.
the austerities practiced by monks
Recent Examples on the Web
As part of this ambitious austerity plan, his government is forcing a nearly 3% budget cut across all ministries.
—
ABC News, 3 June 2026
Thompson’s characterization has its limitations—austerity was by then a long-standing bipartisan project, carried out by Ford and Carter, too.
—Kevin Lozano, Harpers Magazine, 2 June 2026
The austerity policies that Spain undertook during that crisis—such as freezing the minimum wage and cutting social spending—had produced an immensely unequal recovery and become the target of populist movements.
—Rogé Karma, The Atlantic, 1 June 2026
Kenney’s petition, which has nearly 4,000 signatures, urged the CSU not to spend money renewing the contract with OpenAI when several campuses like San Francisco State and Sonoma State had recently enacted austerity measures.
—Tarini Mehta, Sacbee.com, 29 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for austerity
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
ABC News, 3 June 2026
Thompson’s characterization has its limitations—austerity was by then a long-standing bipartisan project, carried out by Ford and Carter, too.
—Kevin Lozano, Harpers Magazine, 2 June 2026
The austerity policies that Spain undertook during that crisis—such as freezing the minimum wage and cutting social spending—had produced an immensely unequal recovery and become the target of populist movements.
—Rogé Karma, The Atlantic, 1 June 2026
Kenney’s petition, which has nearly 4,000 signatures, urged the CSU not to spend money renewing the contract with OpenAI when several campuses like San Francisco State and Sonoma State had recently enacted austerity measures.
—Tarini Mehta, Sacbee.com, 29 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for austerity
Cite this Entry
“Austerity.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/austerity. Accessed 6 Jun. 2026.
Copy CitationKids Definition
austerity
noun
aus·ter·i·ty
ȯ-ˈster-ət-ē
plural austerities
1
: the quality or state of being austere
2
: an austere act, manner, or attitude
3
: a way of living with few or no luxuries
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
