1
as in harsh
given to exacting standards of discipline and self-restraint
a severe, uncompromising teacher who locked the classroom door precisely when the bell rang and let no one in afterward
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in fierce
harsh and threatening in manner or appearance
clergymen who dressed in severe clothing
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in serious
not joking or playful in mood or manner
the judge maintained a severe expression throughout the trial
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
4
as in tough
difficult to endure
a severe winter that was among the coldest on record
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
5
as in difficult
requiring considerable physical or mental effort
a severe test of courage
Synonyms & Similar Words
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 severe
Paredes said local taxes, cost of transportation, overall refinery production, severe weather and politics can all play a role in determining what motorists pay per gallon.
—
Sasha Hupka, AZCentral.com, 25 Oct. 2025
Warm weather boosts sales Unseasonably warm weather persisting into October and a lack of severe weather events nationwide have had a larger impact on Tractor Supply's business than tariffs and inflation, according to the company's top executives.
—Hadley Hitson, Nashville Tennessean, 24 Oct. 2025
Ashley Mills previously said her sister's injuries were too severe, adding an honor walk was held on Tuesday afternoon.
—Adam Sabes, FOXNews.com, 24 Oct. 2025
No severe weather is expected from the storm system.
—Kansas City Star, 24 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for severe
Sasha Hupka, AZCentral.com, 25 Oct. 2025
Warm weather boosts sales Unseasonably warm weather persisting into October and a lack of severe weather events nationwide have had a larger impact on Tractor Supply's business than tariffs and inflation, according to the company's top executives.
—Hadley Hitson, Nashville Tennessean, 24 Oct. 2025
Ashley Mills previously said her sister's injuries were too severe, adding an honor walk was held on Tuesday afternoon.
—Adam Sabes, FOXNews.com, 24 Oct. 2025
No severe weather is expected from the storm system.
—Kansas City Star, 24 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for severe
Recent Examples of Synonyms for severe
Adjective
-
According to the woman, her parents’ reasoning for denying her requests was rooted in a harsh lesson about independence.—
Ashley Vega,
PEOPLE,
26 Oct. 2025
-
Instead of buying special cleaners or reaching for harsh chemicals to clean around your home, look to your medicine cabinet for a solution.—
Karen Brewer Grossman,
Southern Living,
25 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
The rebound in corporate profitability was largely helped by Beijing’s policies aimed at curtailing fierce price competition across industrial sectors, at a time when deflation in producer prices stretched into its third year.—
Anniek Bao,
CNBC,
27 Oct. 2025
-
The eyewall generally produces the fiercest winds and heaviest rainfall, according to Deanna Hence, a professor of climate, meteorology and atmospheric sciences at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign.—
NPR,
NPR,
27 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
Rule out any more serious conditions.—
RikkiLynn Shields Hannigan,
Health,
25 Oct. 2025
-
Springsteen has been open over the years about navigating depression, which began to get serious during his early 30s.—
Jordana Comiter,
PEOPLE,
25 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
Whether or not Takaichi's administration is as tough on immigration issues as her campaign rhetoric suggests, some observers warn that failing to actively invest in and integrate foreign nationals into society will have lasting harm on Asia’s second-largest economy.—
Micah McCartney,
MSNBC Newsweek,
25 Oct. 2025
-
Without a consolidation of that vote in the final stretch, Mamdani appears tough to beat.—
New York Times,
New York Times,
25 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
One of the world’s most persistent waste problems, plastics are durable and difficult to recycle.—
Prabhat Ranjan Mishra,
Interesting Engineering,
27 Oct. 2025
-
But grass is difficult to digest for the mammal.—
Craig Shoup,
Nashville Tennessean,
27 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
Many residents favor stricter enforcement of immigration rules but have qualms about the current process.—
Tyler Kingkade,
NBC news,
31 Oct. 2025
-
Ben Mead, managing director of Hohenstein Americas, the largest provider of testing for Oeko-Tex, says some limitations are so strict that even contamination on the machinery from previous runs can show up in testing.—
Sophie Benson,
Vogue,
30 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
But encounters with the island’s residents, including with his gruff but warm-hearted landlady (played by German screen legend Hanna Schygulla), gradually alter his outlook.—
Scott Roxborough,
HollywoodReporter,
20 Oct. 2025
-
Panday plays a convincingly gruff tortured artist alongside Padda’s struggling ingenue, and most of the screen time is devoted to their pairing instead of introducing tertiary excess.—
Proma Khosla,
IndieWire,
13 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
The monarch herself eventually selected the winner, an elegant and solemn portrait that was entitled Equanimity and eventually featured on the cover of Time magazine.—
Meredith Kile,
PEOPLE,
27 Oct. 2025
-
Each day brings more permanent residents, arriving in black hearses trailing solemn convoys of hazard-flashing cars to a place still served by generations of locals who cut granite memorials or pour sympathetic whiskeys.—
Chris Kenning,
USA Today,
25 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Severe.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/severe. Accessed 31 Oct. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share