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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of severely
The images appear to show that several buildings in the compound were severely damaged by strikes.
—
Abbas Al Lawati, CNN Money, 1 Mar. 2026
Grenell’s announcement of the closure, scheduled to take place this year, followed a series of news reports about withdrawals from the center by cultural institutions or individual artists that left its calendar for 2026 severely underpopulated.
—Chris Willman, Variety, 1 Mar. 2026
The neighborhood group’s petition says the property has been left unsecured, causing break-ins and squatting, while several units have been severely damaged by fire alongside issues with water, trash, mold and vermin.
—Chris Higgins, Kansas City Star, 1 Mar. 2026
Iran’s leadership was left severely weakened following the attack, both regionally and domestically.
—Brian Bennett, Time, 28 Feb. 2026
That group, so named for the four brothers who controlled it, was severely weakened about two decades ago through fighting with Sinaloa operatives and a systematic dismantling by federal investigators and prosecutors in San Diego.
—Alexandra Mendoza, San Diego Union-Tribune, 28 Feb. 2026
Judith Smith, one of the company’s founders, had moved here during the 1980s after she was severely injured in a car accident.
—Mercury News, 28 Feb. 2026
Cold-sensitive palms have been severely affected; give them time to recover.
—Tom MacCubbin, The Orlando Sentinel, 28 Feb. 2026
Entrants include a team from the Children’s Hospital of Pennsylvania and Penn Medicine, who for the first time delivered a custom therapy to edit the abnormal genome of a severely ill infant, baby KJ, designed and implemented in just eight months.
—Amanda Erickson, STAT, 27 Feb. 2026
Abbas Al Lawati, CNN Money, 1 Mar. 2026
Grenell’s announcement of the closure, scheduled to take place this year, followed a series of news reports about withdrawals from the center by cultural institutions or individual artists that left its calendar for 2026 severely underpopulated.
—Chris Willman, Variety, 1 Mar. 2026
The neighborhood group’s petition says the property has been left unsecured, causing break-ins and squatting, while several units have been severely damaged by fire alongside issues with water, trash, mold and vermin.
—Chris Higgins, Kansas City Star, 1 Mar. 2026
Iran’s leadership was left severely weakened following the attack, both regionally and domestically.
—Brian Bennett, Time, 28 Feb. 2026
That group, so named for the four brothers who controlled it, was severely weakened about two decades ago through fighting with Sinaloa operatives and a systematic dismantling by federal investigators and prosecutors in San Diego.
—Alexandra Mendoza, San Diego Union-Tribune, 28 Feb. 2026
Judith Smith, one of the company’s founders, had moved here during the 1980s after she was severely injured in a car accident.
—Mercury News, 28 Feb. 2026
Cold-sensitive palms have been severely affected; give them time to recover.
—Tom MacCubbin, The Orlando Sentinel, 28 Feb. 2026
Entrants include a team from the Children’s Hospital of Pennsylvania and Penn Medicine, who for the first time delivered a custom therapy to edit the abnormal genome of a severely ill infant, baby KJ, designed and implemented in just eight months.
—Amanda Erickson, STAT, 27 Feb. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for severely
Adverb
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Celeste’s version of the tour is harshly minimalistic, all black-and-white strobe lights and profane on-screen text.—
Spencer Kornhaber,
The Atlantic,
24 Feb. 2026
-
Even though Florida isn’t known for being harshly cold, some days can still feel surprisingly chilly, and these always come in handy.—
Jacqueline Dole,
Travel + Leisure,
23 Feb. 2026
Adverb
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Today any surface that has a coating, any device that uses stacks of extremely thin films — television screens, cell phone screens and the microchips inside — can be traced back to Katharine, repeatedly dipping a metal plate in a trough of water.—
Natalia Sánchez Loayza,
Scientific American,
26 Feb. 2026
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Wlazlo is extremely driven and results-oriented, Tessaro said.—
Brian Womack,
Dallas Morning News,
26 Feb. 2026
Adverb
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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
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The second planet from the sun has a completely inhospitable surface, with temperatures reaching 863 degrees Fahrenheit (462 degrees Celsius) and a crushing pressure underneath an oppressively thick atmosphere.—
Keith Cooper,
Space.com,
1 Oct. 2025
Adverb
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But all of this rapturous gazing made up a terribly small fraction of the experience of being a parent.—
Daniel Smith,
The Atlantic,
27 Feb. 2026
-
But the arguments that AI will take over tasks and that will allow people to be more fully human is terribly mistaken and overtly hubristic.—
Caleb Harris,
Austin American Statesman,
26 Feb. 2026
Adverb
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These inspirational moments were interspersed with brutally harsh attacks on the Democrats in the chamber.—
Jonathan Karl,
ABC News,
25 Feb. 2026
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Who in God's name would put a woman whose husband was brutally assassinated in front of the entire world through this?—
Mike Snider,
USA Today,
24 Feb. 2026
Adverb
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Meanwhile, close to 300,000 households were in the dark at the peak of the storm amid incredibly strong winds on Monday, and it’s expected to take days for many to get power back.—
Rick Sobey,
Boston Herald,
24 Feb. 2026
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Fentanyl is an incredibly potent synthetic opioid that can be fatal in very small doses.—
Clara Harter,
Los Angeles Times,
24 Feb. 2026
Adverb
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But the cumulative effect has been to make the already difficult transition between the Bundesliga and the Premier League even harder.—
Cerys Jones,
New York Times,
28 Feb. 2026
-
The founding generation of screen actors, who fought hard and risked much to establish a labor union for the profession, would still likely balk at the deletion of the name.—
Thomas Doherty,
HollywoodReporter,
28 Feb. 2026
Adverb
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While Sanchez struggled badly for Houston, left in free agency and signed with Toronto, the Marlins have three players who could amount to something from that deal.—
Barry Jackson,
Miami Herald,
26 Feb. 2026
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And Eric was hit, very badly, in the leg and hip, one bullet after another.—
Dallas Morning News,
Dallas Morning News,
25 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Severely.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/severely. Accessed 3 Mar. 2026.
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