1
as in harshly
in a manner so as to cause loss or suffering
the building was severely damaged by the explosion
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in extremely
to a great degree
the rescued mountain climbers were severely dehydrated
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of severely
This reliance on ad budgets severely restricts the company in the mind of the market.
—
Jim Cramer, CNBC, 21 June 2026
Without that asset, the Heat’s package is severely degraded.
—Ira Winderman, Sun Sentinel, 20 June 2026
Schwalbe, with decades of global health experience, aims to bring a scientific, problem-solving approach to Congress, where scientists are severely underrepresented.
—Bruce Y. Lee, Forbes.com, 20 June 2026
Aegon was severely injured by Aemond and Vhagar in that battle.
—Tracy Brown, Los Angeles Times, 19 June 2026
If rain severely limits your sight, pull over and wait for conditions to improve.
—Bay Area Weather Report, Mercury News, 19 June 2026
The Toyota had flipped on its side and was severely damaged, according to police.
—Alexandra Simon, CBS News, 18 June 2026
Mamdani then issued keys to the city to staff and players, including Dolan and his son, both of whom seemed severely uninterested in a photo op.
—Ryan Morik Outkick, FOXNews.com, 18 June 2026
Remarkably, state law also severely restrains cities and counties from setting their own regulations, giving local leaders little sway over local gun policies.
—Kacen Bayless, Kansas City Star, 17 June 2026
Jim Cramer, CNBC, 21 June 2026
Without that asset, the Heat’s package is severely degraded.
—Ira Winderman, Sun Sentinel, 20 June 2026
Schwalbe, with decades of global health experience, aims to bring a scientific, problem-solving approach to Congress, where scientists are severely underrepresented.
—Bruce Y. Lee, Forbes.com, 20 June 2026
Aegon was severely injured by Aemond and Vhagar in that battle.
—Tracy Brown, Los Angeles Times, 19 June 2026
If rain severely limits your sight, pull over and wait for conditions to improve.
—Bay Area Weather Report, Mercury News, 19 June 2026
The Toyota had flipped on its side and was severely damaged, according to police.
—Alexandra Simon, CBS News, 18 June 2026
Mamdani then issued keys to the city to staff and players, including Dolan and his son, both of whom seemed severely uninterested in a photo op.
—Ryan Morik Outkick, FOXNews.com, 18 June 2026
Remarkably, state law also severely restrains cities and counties from setting their own regulations, giving local leaders little sway over local gun policies.
—Kacen Bayless, Kansas City Star, 17 June 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for severely
Adverb
-
The difficulty lies in the fact that setting boundaries does not mean exercising authority harshly.—
Jose Luis Gonzalez Rodriguez,
Forbes.com,
23 June 2026
-
But its conditions have been harshly criticized by l awyers, families and human rights groups, who have persistently denounced the mistreatment of detainees since the center opened 11 months ago, during the Atlantic hurricane season.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
17 June 2026
Adverb
-
Canada and Qatar drew their first matches, making this an extremely important opportunity for their hopes of advancing out of the group stage.—
Andrew Greif,
NBC news,
19 June 2026
-
All had extremely low omega-3 levels and at least one risk factor for dementia, such as obesity, sedentary lifestyle, high blood pressure or cholesterol.—
Sandee LaMotte,
CNN Money,
18 June 2026
Adverb
-
Fortunately, this spell of hot temps will be a generally drier heat — not necessarily oppressively humid like is typical for New England.—
Rick Sobey,
Boston Herald,
19 May 2026
-
The first of the four chapters is an oppressively gray-toned, narratively diffuse spy thriller, set amid the mists of what appears to be the Second World War.—
Justin Chang,
New Yorker,
18 Dec. 2025
Adverb
-
In forming our union, the founders fell terribly short of the declaration's promise, leaving slavery intact, allowing states to restrict the franchise to white men who own property.—
Dana Taylor,
USA Today,
19 June 2026
-
But if the film occasionally threatens to float away into its own inaccessible realm, Camp’s witty, doleful performance grounds it with a human dimension, albeit not a terribly warm one.—
Guy Lodge,
Variety,
19 June 2026
Adverb
-
Netflix's latest adaptation of a Harlan Coben thriller is a dark story of a man accused of brutally killing his son.—
Kelly Lawler,
USA Today,
18 June 2026
-
In 2022, Kohberger brutally stabbed and killed Madison Mogen, Kaylee Goncalves, Ethan Chapin and Xana Kernodle in their Moscow, Idaho rental home.—
Tony Maglio,
HollywoodReporter,
17 June 2026
Adverb
-
This butter-yellow tunic feels cheerful, airy, and incredibly chic for summer.—
Rosie Marder,
Travel + Leisure,
24 June 2026
-
The producers are amazing, the writers are amazing, the director's amazing and Netflix has been nothing but incredibly supportive.—
Raven Brunner,
PEOPLE,
23 June 2026
Adverb
-
In heat waves, Aid stations could be hard-pressed to manage everyone affected.—
Arthur L. Kellermann,
Forbes.com,
20 June 2026
-
Add liquid ingredients and ice, seal and shake hard.—
Jeremy Repanich,
Robb Report,
20 June 2026
Adverb
-
The enterprise software industry faces real challenges from AI, and the crop of 2021-2022 LBOs in this space will age badly; keep an eye on Coupa, a 2022 Thoma Bravo take-private, Zendesk, and Hellman & Friedman/Permira buyouts of the same year.—
Liz Hoffman,
semafor.com,
18 June 2026
-
He has not been seen publicly since, leading to speculation that he was badly injured in the attack.—
Somayeh Malekian,
ABC News,
18 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Severely.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/severely. Accessed 24 Jun. 2026.
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