severer; severest
1
a
: 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
4
a
: 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
6
a
: 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
severely
adverb
severeness
noun
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.
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.
Recent Examples on the Web
In practice, the report warns, losses could be even more severe, as the model does not fully account for the long-term impact of regional instability on foreign investment.
—Lidia Kurasinska, Forbes.com, 30 June 2025
The idyllic universe that Mafalda had lived in was falling apart; the fissures in Argentinean society had become too severe, too dangerous, and the time for making sarcastic cracks at those in power had passed.
—Daniel Alarcón, New Yorker, 30 June 2025
The Boulder County District Attorney’s Office announced the new charges on Monday after the death of Karen Diamond, who suffered severe injuries from the perpetrator’s Molotov cocktails.
—David Zimmermann, The Washington Examiner, 30 June 2025
Students reported a range of misfortunes, including severe injuries from car accidents, pregnancy complications, depression, PTSD, blindness and chronic illness—all conditions that could befall any STEM major at any time.
—Josh Hammer, MSNBC Newsweek, 30 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for severe
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show current usage.
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Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
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Lidia Kurasinska, Forbes.com, 30 June 2025
The idyllic universe that Mafalda had lived in was falling apart; the fissures in Argentinean society had become too severe, too dangerous, and the time for making sarcastic cracks at those in power had passed.
—Daniel Alarcón, New Yorker, 30 June 2025
The Boulder County District Attorney’s Office announced the new charges on Monday after the death of Karen Diamond, who suffered severe injuries from the perpetrator’s Molotov cocktails.
—David Zimmermann, The Washington Examiner, 30 June 2025
Students reported a range of misfortunes, including severe injuries from car accidents, pregnancy complications, depression, PTSD, blindness and chronic illness—all conditions that could befall any STEM major at any time.
—Josh Hammer, MSNBC Newsweek, 30 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for severe
Cite this Entry
“Severe.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/severe. Accessed 11 Jul. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
severe
adjective
se·vere
sə-ˈvi(ə)r 
severer; severest
1
a
: strict in judgment, discipline, or government
a severe ruler
b
: serious in feeling or manner : grave
2
: not using unnecessary ornament : plain
a severe style
3
: inflicting pain, distress, or hardship
severe wounds
a severe winter
4
: requiring great effort
a severe test
severely
adverb
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