1
as in sacrifice
voluntary restraint in the satisfaction of one's appetites
They moved off the grid to live a life of austerity.
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2
as in gruffness
the quality or state of being stern and serious in manner or appearance
His air of austerity tends to put others off.
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3
as in misery
the state of lacking sufficient money or material possessions
His family spent years living in austerity during the recession.
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of austerity
Countries around the world, particularly in Asia, are feeling the fallout, with several resorting to austerity measures.
—
Jessie Yeung, CNN Money, 27 Mar. 2026
Minimalism without freedom is just austerity; there’s no use having the former without the latter.
—Daisy Jones, Vogue, 26 Mar. 2026
Twenty-six states enacted new and stringent limits on long-standing public health authorities that were already hollowed out from years of budget austerity.
—David Blumenthal, Fortune, 24 Mar. 2026
As part of his austerity plan, Milei downgraded the Human Rights Secretariat to a sub-secretariat, cut its budget and laid off staff.
—Débora Rey, Los Angeles Times, 24 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for austerity
Jessie Yeung, CNN Money, 27 Mar. 2026
Minimalism without freedom is just austerity; there’s no use having the former without the latter.
—Daisy Jones, Vogue, 26 Mar. 2026
Twenty-six states enacted new and stringent limits on long-standing public health authorities that were already hollowed out from years of budget austerity.
—David Blumenthal, Fortune, 24 Mar. 2026
As part of his austerity plan, Milei downgraded the Human Rights Secretariat to a sub-secretariat, cut its budget and laid off staff.
—Débora Rey, Los Angeles Times, 24 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for austerity
Recent Examples of Synonyms for austerity
Noun
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Families would leave lights in windows or over doors during battles, such as Verdun, as a sign of hope and remembrance — a tradition that later became a lasting tribute to France’s sacrifice and alliance.—
David Caraccio
April 4,
Sacbee.com,
4 Apr. 2026
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Still, Roy contends that the two days a month is reasonable given the sacrifices lawyers make to work for the government.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
4 Apr. 2026
Noun
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But then Popper smiled and the arrival of opening day momentarily mellowed his gruffness.—
Andrew Carter,
Chicago Tribune,
26 Mar. 2026
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Mackay and Turner are both excellent, two movie stars who seem totally game to be asked to move with real gruffness.—
Sam Bodrojan,
IndieWire,
7 Sep. 2025
Noun
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And through all this, Saariaho’s elaborately beautiful orchestration scintillates, jabs, caresses, and swerves, giving all that vivid misery a sheen of lyric glamour.—
Justin Davidson,
Vulture,
7 Apr. 2026
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Fighting the obligations of motherhood leads to misery.—
Emma Green,
New Yorker,
6 Apr. 2026
Noun
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And so, far from clearing up confusion, the provisions have sparked criticism from numerous TV writers and producers, including Academy members, who think the guidelines leave far too much room for AI to have a meaningful role on writing, acting and other creative disciplines in Emmy nominees.—
Hilary Lewis,
HollywoodReporter,
7 Apr. 2026
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Alvaro Arbeloa’s Madrid can be front-footed and organised, pressing high with discipline and intent.—
Sukhman Singh,
New York Times,
7 Apr. 2026
Noun
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Beyond their asceticism, the six members of the group - Daniela Avanzini, Lara Raj, Manon Bannerman, Megan Skiendiel, Sophia Laforteza, and Yoonchae Jeung - hail from different countries, including the Philippines, South Korea, Switzerland, and the United States.—
Doug Melville,
Forbes.com,
26 Aug. 2025
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Frayne writes that some second- and third-century sects, such as the Encratites, Priscilliantists, and Manicheans, advocated against meat eating, typically as part of a broader asceticism that might also include celibacy.—
Livia Gershon,
JSTOR Daily,
4 Aug. 2025
Noun
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Dyer notes that Cox may well have been confused by the mental and physical trauma of the sinking and the deprivations of five days adrift.—
Matthew Wills,
JSTOR Daily,
3 Apr. 2026
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Marcos Javier Andrade faces one count of deprivation of rights under color of law and one count of use and discharge of a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence.—
Alex Riggins,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
3 Apr. 2026
Noun
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The plaintiffs asked the court Wednesday for either a stay or preliminary injunction that would restore the previous restraints.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
8 Apr. 2026
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No damage to the technical facility has been reported yet, but UN nuclear officials have called for restraint and warned of a nuclear accident.—
Michael Rios,
CNN Money,
7 Apr. 2026
Noun
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Anthropic’s researchers say Mythos Preview was able to detect thousands of high- and critical-severity bugs and software defects, with vulnerabilities identified in most major operating systems and web browsers.—
Kevin Collier,
NBC news,
8 Apr. 2026
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The report also found that traffic signal changes put in place in 2020 had little impact on crash frequency or severity, the city said, and that crash trends on Randall Road remain generally consistent with historical averages.—
Aurora Beacon-News,
Chicago Tribune,
7 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Austerity.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/austerity. Accessed 10 Apr. 2026.
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