stern

adjective \ ˈstərn \

Definition of stern

1 a :having a definite hardness or severity of nature or manner :austere

b :expressive of severe displeasure :harsh

2 :forbidding or gloomy in appearance

3 :inexorable

stern necessity

4 :sturdy, stout

a stern resolve

—

sternly

adverb

—

sternness

play \ˈstərn-nəs\ noun

See stern defined for English-language learners

See stern defined for kids

Examples of stern in a Sentence

He gave me a stern look.
the army post's stern commander always had the utmost respect of those who served under him

Recent Examples of stern from the Web

One shot in particular—of Swift wearing an all-black outfit surrounded by stern-looking dancers—is really driving Twitter up the wall.

— christopher rosa, Glamour, "People Think Taylor Swift References 'Lemonade' in Her New Video—and They're Mad," 25 Aug. 2017
The courts have a role in issuing a stern message that lengthy prison terms await serial drug dealers; state legislators have an obligation to assess appropriate penalties.

— Howard County Times, "Stronger actions to battle heroin [Editorial]," 23 Aug. 2017
Tillerson has repeatedly delivered stern messages to North Korea, saying in April, for example, that the two sides were nowhere near ready for negotiations.

— nick wadhams, Bloomberg.com, "Tillerson Cites North Korea's ‘Restraint’ as a Step Toward Talks," 22 Aug. 2017
Laura Dern's stern, own-the-room demeanor is electric, and not unexpected given her history with Lynch.

— corey atad, Esquire, "The Most Shocking Part of Twin Peaks Is Jim Belushi's Hilarious Performance," 24 July 2017
Just last month, an AR-15 rifle and a loaded shotgun were stolen from unlocked vehicles in Gardendale, prompting Police Chief Mike Walker to issue a stern warning about responsible gun ownership.

— howard koplowitz, AL.com, "Birmingham Water Works to end Saturday hours at end of July," 19 July 2017
Favorable views of China plunged to historical lows of 34% in South Korea, which recently agreed to place a US advanced missile defense system in its territory despite Beijing's stern warnings and divisions inside South Korea on the deployment.

— steven jiang, CNN, "China, US neck-and-neck in global (un)popularity contest, poll finds," 13 July 2017
Obama scolded Russian President Vladimir Putin (apparently ineffectually) during a sidelines meeting in September, and reportedly also delivered a stern message on October 31.

— david a. graham, The Atlantic, "The Trump Uncertainty Principle," 6 July 2017
Then, after a stern request from shareholders, Kalanick decided to resign entirely.

— mike wehner, Fox News, "Ex-Uber chief allegedly knew about ex-Waymo engineer's Google info," 22 June 2017

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

Origin and Etymology of stern

Middle English sterne, from Old English styrne; akin to Old English starian to stare — more at stare

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: before 12th century

See Words from the same year

stern Synonyms

Synonyms

austere, authoritarian, flinty, hard, harsh, heavy-handed, ramrod, rigid, rigorous, severe, strict, tough

Antonyms

clement, forbearing, gentle, indulgent, lax, lenient, tolerant

Near Antonyms

easy, easygoing, laid-back, undemanding; charitable, kind, merciful, mild, patient, soft, softhearted; accepting, compromising, yielding; responsive, willing; acquiescent, agreeable, amenable, complaisant, compliant, flexible, pliable, pliant

Synonym Discussion of stern

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

stern

noun

Definition of stern

1 :the rear end of a boat

2 :a hinder or rear part :the last or latter part

See stern defined for English-language learners

Recent Examples of stern from the Web

On the 148- to 310-passenger sailing ships, Candles is by the pool with views of the sails, or at least the masts; on the 212-passenger motor ships, the restaurant is on the stern.

— fran golden, latimes.com, "Enjoy dining in the great outdoors on the great blue seas," 13 Aug. 2017
Blood congeals quickly in the tropical heat, so as soon as the syringe filled up, Dove swam back up to hand it off to a colleague in a waiting speedboat, which powered across the bay to a makeshift lab set up on the stern of the Putiraja.

— peter guest, The Atlantic, "What It's Like to Draw Blood From a Whale Shark," 8 Aug. 2017
While the stadium project has created some high-end seating that approximates watching the game from the stern of a yacht, the new party terraces on the 300 level are the flipside, accessible with standing-room only tickets.

— craig davis, Sun-Sentinel.com, "Latest Hard Rock Stadium renovations improve amenities, parking, food, drink," 8 Aug. 2017
After two minutes of dipping and diving and to and fro, Houser had the fish to the stern of the boat.

— paul a. smith, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "Smith: Green Bay waters worthy of a title, too," 24 June 2017
In danger of swamping, coxswain Jim Bartlett quickly handed emergency buckets to the four oarsmen in the stern of the boat.

— bill knight, The Seattle Times, "If you loved ‘The Boys in the Boat,’ don’t miss this tale of adventure," 16 June 2017
The bow, or nose, of the boat pitches up while the stern, or rear, tends to ride deeper into the water.

— scott canon, kansascity.com, "Bigger boats, bigger wakes breed conflict on Lake of the Ozarks," 16 June 2017
In this undated underwater image provided by NOAA, a fish swims past a circular skylight collapsed inside the officer’s quarters in the stern of the shipwreck USCG Cutter McCulloch.

— Washington Post, "Coast Guard ship will linger in century-old watery grave," 13 June 2017
Williams, dressed as a pirate, walked stealthily up from the stern.

— chris haire, Orange County Register, "Watch a Marine returning home surprise his kids at Buena Park ‘Pirates’ show," 16 May 2017

Origin and Etymology of stern

Middle English, rudder, probably of Scandinavian origin; akin to Old Norse stjōrn steering, rudder; akin to Old English stīeran to steer — more at steer

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 14th century

See Words from the same year

Other Nautical Terms

avast, aweigh, flotsam, jib, keel, lee, port, starboard, stay

Stern

biographical name \ ˈstərn \

Definition of Stern

Isaac 1920–2001 American (Russian-born) violinist

Stern

biographical name

Definition of Stern

Otto 1888–1969 American (German-born) physicist

STERN Defined for English Language Learners

stern

adjective

Definition of stern for English Language Learners

: very serious especially in an unfriendly way
: expressing strong disapproval or criticism
: not likely to change or become weaker

stern

noun

Definition of stern for English Language Learners

: the back part of a boat or ship

STERN Defined for Kids

stern

adjective \ ˈstərn \

Definition of stern for Students

sterner; sternest

1 :hard and severe in nature or manner :very strict and serious

a stern judge

a stern warning

2 :showing severe displeasure or disapproval

The elder's stern expression softened.
—Brian Jacques, Redwall

3 :firm and not changeable

She showed stern determination to succeed.

—

sternly

adverb

speak sternly

stern

noun

Definition of stern for Students

:the rear end of a boat

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See words that rhyme with stern Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for stern Spanish Central: Translation of stern Nglish: Translation of stern for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of stern for Arabic speakers Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about stern

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