Thesaurus

severe

adjective

Synonyms and Antonyms of severe

1 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 of severe

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

Words Related to severe

demanding, exacting

uncharitable, unforgiving

adamant, adamantine, callous, hardened, hard-hearted, hard-line, immovable, implacable, inflexible, merciless, ossified, pitiless, relentless, rock-ribbed, stiff, unbending, uncompromising, unrelenting, unsparing, unyielding

ascetic (also ascetical), monastic, monkish

browbeating, bullying

determined, firm, resolved, single-minded, steadfast, unflinching

dogged, intractable, obstinate, relentless

Near Antonyms of severe

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

Antonyms of severe

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

2 harsh and threatening in manner or appearance

clergymen who dressed in severe clothing

Synonyms of severe

austere, dour, fierce, flinty, forbidding, grim, gruff, intimidating, lowering (also louring), rough, rugged, stark, steely, stern, ungentle

Words Related to severe

bleak, cold, hostile, inhospitable, inimical, unfriendly, unsympathetic

adamant, bound, determined, firm, intent, purposeful, resolute, resolved, steadfast, unflinching

fixed, hard, hardened, hardheaded, immovable, implacable, inflexible, ironhanded, mulish, obdurate, obstinate, rigid, self-willed, set, stiff, stubborn, unbending, uncompromising, unrelenting, unyielding, willful (or wilful)

immutable, unchangeable

black, cheerless, dark, gloomy, glum, joyless, melancholic, moody, morose, sulky, sullen, surly

brooding, grave, humorless, melancholy, serious, sober, sobersided, solemn, somber (or sombre), staid, unsmiling, weighty

Near Antonyms of severe

bland, meek, mellow, soft, soothing

easy, quiet, tranquil

agreeable, bright, cheerful, inviting, pleasant, pleasing, sweet

glad, happy, lighthearted, merry, mirthful, sunny

featherbrained, flighty, frivolous, giddy, goofy, harebrained, light-headed, playful, scatterbrained, silly

Antonyms of severe

benign, benignant, gentle, mild, nonintimidating, tender

3 not joking or playful in mood or manner

the judge maintained a severe expression throughout the trial

Synonyms of severe

earnest, grave, humorless, no-nonsense, po-faced [British], sedate, serious, sober, sobersided, solemn, staid, uncomic, unsmiling, weighty

Words Related to severe

harsh, stern, strict

businesslike, professional

dignified, distinguished, elevated, serious-minded

Near Antonyms of severe

antic, comic, comical, droll, farcical, funny, hilarious, hysterical (also hysteric), laughable, light, light-headed, ludicrous, ridiculous, riotous, risible, screaming, sidesplitting, uproarious

featherbrained, flighty, frivolous, goofy, harebrained, lighthearted, puerile, scatterbrained

absurd, asinine, balmy, brainless, cockeyed, crazy, cuckoo, daffy, daft, dotty, fatuous, foolish, half-witted, insane, jerky, kooky (also kookie), loony (also looney), lunatic, mad, nonsensical, nutty, preposterous, sappy, screwball, senseless, silly, unwise, wacky (also whacky), weak-minded, witless, zany

Antonyms of severe

facetious, flip, flippant, humorous, jesting, jocular, joking, kittenish, ludic, playful

4 difficult to endure

a severe winter that was among the coldest on record

Synonyms of severe

bitter, brutal, burdensome, cruel, excruciating, grievous, grim, hard, hardhanded, harsh, heavy, inhuman, murderous, onerous, oppressive, rough, rugged, searing, stiff, tough, trying

Words Related to severe

austere, bleak, comfortless, discomforting, forbidding, inhospitable, spartan, uncomfortable

biting, inclement, intemperate, wild

rigorous, strict, stringent

agonizing, heartbreaking, heartrending, painful, wretched

crushing, grinding, overwhelming, wearing

insufferable, insupportable, intolerable, unbearable, unendurable

harrowing, tortuous

bad, disagreeable, hostile, unfriendly, unpleasant

Near Antonyms of severe

comfortable, cozy, luxurious, snug

agreeable, friendly, genial, hospitable, pleasant

peaceful, relaxing, reposeful, restful

bearable, endurable, painless, tolerable

balmy, calm, clement, gentle, mild, moderate, temperate

Antonyms of severe

easy, light, soft

5 requiring considerable physical or mental effort

a severe test of courage

Synonyms of severe

arduous, Augean, backbreaking, challenging, demanding, difficult, effortful, exacting, formidable, grueling (or gruelling), hard, heavy, hellacious, herculean, killer, laborious, moiling, murderous, pick-and-shovel, rigorous, rough, rugged, stiff, strenuous, sweaty, tall, testing, toilsome, tough, uphill

Words Related to severe

abstract, abstruse, complex, complicated, elusive, hairy, insoluble, intricate, involved, knotty, opaque, problematic (also problematical), recondite, serious, spiny, stubborn, thorny, ticklish, tricky

bruising, burdensome, exhausting, labored, onerous, oppressive, stressful, taxing, tight, trying

annoying, bothersome, distressing, irksome, troublesome, vexatious

grievous, grim, strict, stringent

brutal, cruel, inhuman, painful

Near Antonyms of severe

achievable, clear, doable, elementary, manageable, uncomplicated

comforting, gentle, painless, relaxed, smooth, soothing

accessible, friendly, idiotproof, user-friendly

Antonyms of severe

cheap, easy, effortless, facile, light, mindless, simple, soft, undemanding

Synonym Discussion of severe

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

Learn More about severe

Dictionary: Definition of 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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