SEVERELY Synonyms: 199 Similar and Opposite Words

severely

adverb

Definition of severely

as in harshly

in a manner so as to cause loss or suffering the building was severely damaged by the explosion

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in extremely

to a great degree the rescued mountain climbers were severely dehydrated

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 severely The country, severely affected by gangs and a serious humanitarian crisis, has spent years trying to contain crime without much success. — Sol Amaya, CNN Money, 9 Sep. 2026 Corals – which have been severely bleached along the entire Tanzanian coastline, and largely wiped out around Zanzibar – are being replanted, to try to grow new populations. — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 9 Sep. 2026 London's Stansted and Gatwick airports, Birmingham and Manchester were also severely impacted. — Jenni Reid, CNBC, 9 Sep. 2026 The attacks also threaten crude shipments via the Red Sea, which has been a key alternative route to the crucial Strait of Hormuz, where oil flows have been severely curtailed since the February 28 start of the Iran war. — Tony Munroe, USA Today, 9 Sep. 2026 Travel from Heathrow was severely disrupted in March last year when a massive fire at an electricity substation caused a predawn power outage at the global transport hub. — Henry Austin, NBC news, 8 Sep. 2026 While immeasurably valuable, the steep upfront costs associated with cell and gene can severely limit access. — Jigar Thakkar, Forbes.com, 8 Sep. 2026 That same year, deputies severely beat Joseph Perez on a San Gabriel Valley street, leaving him in need of 30 stitches and staples in his face and head. — Connor Sheets, Los Angeles Times, 7 Sep. 2026 Meanwhile the Pacific Spaceport Complex–Alaska, while remote enough, is severely limited by Arctic winter weather and, as yet, has no SpaceX presence. — Elizabeth Howell, Scientific American, 7 Sep. 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for severely

Adverb

Speaking harshly about migrants has been seen as a potential gateway to the hatred that led to the Holocaust.

— Mark Sappenfield, Christian Science Monitor, 8 Sep. 2026
Yust also alleges prosecutorial misconduct, arguing that a prosecutor improperly urged jurors to sentence him more harshly because of the emotional impact of the trial on them.

— Kansas City Star, Kansas City Star, 2 Sep. 2026

Definition of harshly

Adverb

The summer had seen Europe endure an oppressively dry, hot summer, which had seen wildfires spring up across the continent.

— Anthony Wood, Space.com, 26 Aug. 2026
After a bit of a reprieve from an oppressively hot summer, another heat wave is set to scorch Southern California this week.

— Grace Toohey, Los Angeles Times, 17 Aug. 2026

Definition of oppressively

Adverb

Though Lock and Fleury aren’t Darnold and Kubiak, Wednesday night’s game demonstrated that Seattle is not interested in making terribly many overarching changes from last year’s general offensive approach.

— Andrew Destin, New York Times, 11 Sep. 2026
The other might be the terribly limited prospects of people like Miguelito living in Chivilcoy, a town outside Buenos Aires, where the two latter parts of the film is set.

— Roberto Prieto, Variety, 11 Sep. 2026

Definition of terribly

Adverb

Creators were posting 20- to 30-minute long smoky eye tutorials and dramatic transformations, and keeping us fed with drama as well as brutally honest reviews of the latest product drops.

— Elizabeth Gulino, Allure, 9 Sep. 2026
Some of its efforts, such as the full-scale wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, were brutally destructive.

— Daniel Byman, Foreign Affairs, 8 Sep. 2026

Definition of brutally

Adverb

But incredibly, that failure actually paved the way for his return to the competition last season, with Benfica hiring him just weeks later.

— Dermot Corrigan, New York Times, 8 Sep. 2026
This part — two brothers who respect each others’ artistic gifts (most of the time) but cannot stand each other personally — is not universal but incredibly specific.

— Nate Jones, Vulture, 7 Sep. 2026

Definition of incredibly

Adverb

Even the odd chance to counter-attack went badly wrong — summed up by the sight of Ouattara almost knocking over team-mate Mikkel Damsgaard with a wayward pass.

— Stuart James, New York Times, 8 Sep. 2026
At the time, the Mets were playing particularly badly and making a lot of mistakes on the basepaths, so Ewing’s two failed attempts were somewhat magnified.

— Abbey Mastracco, New York Daily News, 8 Sep. 2026

Definition of badly

Browse Nearby Words

severed

severely

severeness

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“Severely.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/severely. Accessed 15 Sep. 2026.

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Synonyms of severely

adverb

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