as in hardness
the quality or state of being demanding or unyielding (as in discipline or criticism)
even though no one expected the film to be a hit with the critics, the director was taken aback by the severity of the criticism
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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.
Recent Examples of severity
Mushrooms have been shown to have anti-inflammatory effects, which may reduce the risk and severity of inflammatory diseases.
—
Heidi Moawad, Verywell Health, 11 Sep. 2025
Wright handpicked the researchers earlier this year to write the controversial report questioning the scientific consensus on the severity and impacts of climate change.
—Ella Nilsen, CNN Money, 10 Sep. 2025
Although the severity of depression varied, none of the students' symptoms worsened, and scores fell 37% by the second week.
—Angelica Stabile, FOXNews.com, 10 Sep. 2025
After any potential hearing, Robinson would issue a decision regarding guilt and the severity of the discipline.
—Barry Jackson, Miami Herald, 10 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for severity
Heidi Moawad, Verywell Health, 11 Sep. 2025
Wright handpicked the researchers earlier this year to write the controversial report questioning the scientific consensus on the severity and impacts of climate change.
—Ella Nilsen, CNN Money, 10 Sep. 2025
Although the severity of depression varied, none of the students' symptoms worsened, and scores fell 37% by the second week.
—Angelica Stabile, FOXNews.com, 10 Sep. 2025
After any potential hearing, Robinson would issue a decision regarding guilt and the severity of the discipline.
—Barry Jackson, Miami Herald, 10 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for severity
Recent Examples of Synonyms for severity
Noun
-
The water’s mineral content and its softness or hardness comes into play with the fermenting process, Martin said.—
Maggie Menderski,
Louisville Courier Journal,
4 Sep. 2025
-
Its resistance to denting, measured by the Janka hardness scale, is about three to 10 times higher than common woods.—
Georgina Jedikovska,
Interesting Engineering,
2 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
Still, states vary in their strictness.—
Rebecca Schneid,
Time,
31 Aug. 2025
Noun
-
That — metaphorically and literally — is earned dogmatism, the risk that expertise breeds rigidity in our thinking and decision-making.—
Tim Maurer,
Forbes.com,
31 Aug. 2025
-
In lagers, for example, the key factor is surface viscoelasticity, or the elasticity and rigidity of the bubble film.—
Bojan Stojkovski,
Interesting Engineering,
31 Aug. 2025
Noun
-
The harshness of the language and the raw politicking shocked voters.—
Matt Klink,
Oc Register,
6 Sep. 2025
-
The bass doesn’t overpower vocals, and the treble avoids harshness.—
Prakhar Khanna,
Forbes.com,
11 Aug. 2025
Noun
-
Further, Minnesota agencies that oversee mining have upheld the stringency of those standards when challenged by mining opponents in court.—
Chicago Tribune,
Chicago Tribune,
19 Aug. 2025
-
Stepping backward, the California Air Resources Board (CARB) increased the stringency of the state’s low carbon fuel standards (LCFS).—
Wayne Winegarden,
Forbes.com,
2 July 2025
Noun
-
However, the reality is that the inherent inflexibility of immutability is essential to ensuring business resiliency and provides the invaluable peace of mind that comes with knowing data will always be there, ready to be recovered, no matter what.—
David Bennett,
Forbes.com,
29 Aug. 2025
-
Structural inflexibility is forcing unnecessary trade-offs.—
Katica Roy,
Fortune,
15 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Severity.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/severity. Accessed 15 Sep. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share