Definition of severe
severer
;severest
1a : strict in judgment, discipline, or governmentb : 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-disciplineb : 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 wintersb : very painful or harmful a severe wound
7 : requiring great effort : arduous a severe test
8 : of a great degree severe depression
severely
adverbsevereness
nounExplore M-W
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.
Recent Examples of severe from the web
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Those four, a woman in Georgia, and a man who drowned in the Florida Panhandle died as a line of severe thunderstorms moved across the Southeastern United States from Texas.
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Mexico State health officials said about 60 people were hospitalized for injuries from Tuesday’s explosion, including for severe burns, in some cases over 90 percent of their bodies.
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After borrowing more than $3 billion to build his business empire during the 1980s, much of it personally guaranteed, Mr. Trump faced a severe financial crunch starting in 1990.
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Mass shooters could be susceptible for a number of reasons, including social isolation, depression or paranoid forms of severe mental illness.
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Traces of the Zika virus were found in fetal and newborn tissue of Brazilian babies with a birth defect called microcephaly, which typically comprises small heads, severe brain damage, and developmental issues.
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But the severe shortage of professionals to provide primary care means there should be plenty of work to go around.
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The report failed to mention the severe contusion along his cheek and certain neurological changes that would reveal themselves over the course of time.
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Origin and Etymology of severe
Middle French or Latin; Middle French, from Latin severus
First Known Use: 1548
Synonym Discussion of severe
SEVERE Defined for English Language Learners
severe
playDefinition of severe for English Language Learners
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: very bad, serious, or unpleasant
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: causing a lot of physical pain or suffering
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: very harsh
SEVERE Defined for Kids
severe
playDefinition of severe for Students
severer
;severest
severely
adverbLearn More about severe
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Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for severe Spanish Central: Translation of severe Nglish: Translation of severe for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of severe for Arabic speakers
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