severe

adjective

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se·vere | \ sə-ˈvir

severer; severest

Definition of severe

1a : strict in judgment, discipline, or government

b : of a strict or stern bearing or manner : austere

2 : rigorous in restraint, punishment, or requirement : stringent

3 : strongly critical or condemnatory a severe critic

4a : maintaining a scrupulously exacting standard of behavior or self-discipline

b : establishing exacting standards of accuracy and integrity in intellectual processes a severe logician

5 : sober or restrained in decoration or manner : plain a severe dress

6a : causing discomfort or hardship : harsh severe winters

b : very painful or harmful a severe wound

7 : requiring great effort : arduous a severe test

8 : of a great degree severe depression

Other Words from severe Synonyms & Antonyms Choose the Right Synonym More Example Sentences Phrases Containing severe Learn More About severe

Choose the Right Synonym for severe

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 severe in a Sentence

On Feb. 25 regulators laid out details on how they will run the "stress tests" that Treasury Secretary Timothy F. Geithner has promised on the biggest banks. Now those tests, designed to judge whether the banks have the capital to keep lending and absorb losses in a severe recession, face an exam of their own. — Jane Sasseen et al., Business Week, 9 Mar. 2009 A study in February in the journal Lancet, for instance, compared treatments for severe ankle sprains, concluding that a below-the-knee cast is superior to a tubular compression bandage. — Sharon Begley, Newsweek, 9 Mar. 2009 Between 2000 and 2004 the number of Americans covered by Medicaid rose by a remarkable eight million. Over the same period the ranks of the uninsured rose by six million. So without the growth of Medicaid, the uninsured population would have exploded, and we'd be facing a severe crisis in medical care. — Paul Krugman et al., New York Review of Books, 23 Mar. 2006 As several economists—most notably Jeffrey Williamson, of Harvard University—have written recently, international trade increased dramatically between 1850 and the First World War. Williamson goes on to point out that one consequence of this earlier period of globalization was that governments retreated into policies of severe trade and immigration restrictions. — Nicholas Lemann, New Yorker, 10 May 1999 The storm caused severe damage to the roof. The patient is in severe pain. children with severe learning disabilities In the most severe cases, the disease can lead to blindness. He suffered a severe head injury. He faces severe penalties for his actions. The war was a severe test of his leadership. See More

Recent Examples on the Web Forecasters warn the main threat with this activity will be heavy rain and potential flooding, although a strong to severe storm can't be ruled out. — Brook Endale, The Enquirer, 18 May 2022 Israel has seen more than 40 cases of the severe hepatitis in children, including two infants who received transplants. — Lena H. Sun, Washington Post, 17 May 2022 According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, that puts him at higher risk of severe COVID. — Byeli Cahan, ABC News, 17 May 2022 Fentanyl is a powerful opioid that is prescribed for the treatment of severe pain, but has a high risk for addiction and dependence. — Krista Johnson, The Courier-Journal, 17 May 2022 In recent months India has experienced a severe heat wave that saw average maximum temperatures reach the highest in 122 years in northwest India in April, and countrywide in March. — Sophia Saifi, CNN, 17 May 2022 To the isolation caused by the difference of her mind, the drugs added isolation from severe side effects. — New York Times, 17 May 2022 Preliminary severe weather reports from Monday's storms. — Globe Staff, BostonGlobe.com, 17 May 2022 Of the more than 260 fighters evacuated from the Azovstal steel plant in Mariupol late Monday, 52 had severe injuries, Ukraine’s Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk said in a post on Telegram Tuesday. — Anastasiia Parafeniuk, NBC News, 17 May 2022 See More

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'severe.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.