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
Atmos is already facing a lawsuit over the explosion from a resident who was severely burned.
—
Matthew Ablon,
CBS News,
1 July 2026
Nearby Elephant Butte Lake, a draw for outdoorsy tourists, is so severely drought-depleted that sunbaked fish carcasses line its shores.
—
Los Angeles Times,
30 June 2026
At a time when exports from their home markets have been severely constrained, such international investments are only rising in importance.
—
Dominic Dudley,
semafor.com,
30 June 2026
In 2024, a mountain lion attacked and killed Taylen Brooks, 21, and severely wounded his brother, Wyatt, 18.
—
Sharon Bernstein,
Sacbee.com,
30 June 2026
Unlike student loans, parents are solely responsible for this debt, which can severely impact their financial security, competing with retirement savings and essential living costs.
—
True Tamplin,
Forbes.com,
30 June 2026
Critics say the earthquake has severely damaged that narrative.
—
Antonio María Delgado,
Miami Herald,
29 June 2026
The Supreme Court severely weakened Humphrey’s six years ago.
—
Laurent Belsie,
Christian Science Monitor,
29 June 2026
With Pino and Williams potentially unavailable, Spain’s options in the wide areas are severely limited.
—
Pol Ballús,
New York Times,
27 June 2026
Matthew Ablon,
CBS News,
1 July 2026
Nearby Elephant Butte Lake, a draw for outdoorsy tourists, is so severely drought-depleted that sunbaked fish carcasses line its shores.
—
Los Angeles Times,
30 June 2026
At a time when exports from their home markets have been severely constrained, such international investments are only rising in importance.
—
Dominic Dudley,
semafor.com,
30 June 2026
In 2024, a mountain lion attacked and killed Taylen Brooks, 21, and severely wounded his brother, Wyatt, 18.
—
Sharon Bernstein,
Sacbee.com,
30 June 2026
Unlike student loans, parents are solely responsible for this debt, which can severely impact their financial security, competing with retirement savings and essential living costs.
—
True Tamplin,
Forbes.com,
30 June 2026
Critics say the earthquake has severely damaged that narrative.
—
Antonio María Delgado,
Miami Herald,
29 June 2026
The Supreme Court severely weakened Humphrey’s six years ago.
—
Laurent Belsie,
Christian Science Monitor,
29 June 2026
With Pino and Williams potentially unavailable, Spain’s options in the wide areas are severely limited.
—
Pol Ballús,
New York Times,
27 June 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for severely
Adverb
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Overthinking and procrastination are two of the habits people confess to most readily and blame on themselves most harshly, and two of the habits most often misread.
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That can be useful because jurors can be more reluctant to sentence a woman harshly, writes Victor Streib, a law professor at Elon University in North Carolina who has researched the treatment of women on death row.
Adverb
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That restraint also challenges the idea that sauvignon blanc must be extremely aromatic to be recognizable.
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Superconductors can carry electricity with zero resistance, but only at extremely low temperatures.
Adverb
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Fortunately, this spell of hot temps will be a generally drier heat — not necessarily oppressively humid like is typical for New England.
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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.
Adverb
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Wonderfully and terribly, everything does happen for Maddie after her adoring bear of a husband, Jake (Eric Rahill), makes a cooking video of her that goes massively viral.
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Perhaps the biggest problem with this movie is that Supergirl (Helen Slater) seems terribly leisurely about her fateful mission.
Adverb
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Instead, the Philippine independence movement was brutally suppressed.
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On a brutally hot afternoon at MetLife Stadium, the site of the World Cup final in July 19, France outshot Sweden 25-7, including 15-3 in the first half.
Adverb
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Designers of these technologies have to be sensitive to the fact that consumers will invite these tools into their personal lives and homes, meaning that privacy and the scope of what will be collected must be incredibly strict.
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Doing both puts a lot of stress on the brain when temperatures rise, and some people are incredibly sensitive to it.
Adverb
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That means many households will be paying more per kilowatt-hour at the same time air conditioners are running longer and harder, a combination that can quickly drive up summer statements.
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Progressive lawmakers had pushed hard for state leaders to protect health care for undocumented immigrants.
Adverb
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On the way to the oyster farm, Luke asks about a ring Joy is wearing, which turns out to be from an engagement that ended badly.
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Two men were badly burned—one died, and the other remains hospitalized—and the Fiorella’s owners lost two more skiffs.
Cite this Entry
“Severely.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/severely. Accessed 3 Jul. 2026.
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