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
Overuse of ice melt products can severely stress and kill pachysandra growing along the side of a walk.
—
Tim Johnson, Chicago Tribune, 3 May 2026
Online adult platforms are being severely restricted these days as new laws banning materials involving adults pretending to be under 18 are put into place.
—Lizzie Lanuza, StyleCaster, 3 May 2026
Made in response to a difficult breakup, the work alludes to two lovers parting ways, but also to Pau’s memories of isolation as a severely asthmatic child in a notoriously polluted city, lying in bed staring at the wall and inventing stories to distract herself from the difficulty of breathing.
—Pauline J. Yao, Artforum, 2 May 2026
His unmistakable advice was to use the fact that Black voters tend to vote Democratic to defend drawing a map that severely weakens Black voting power, by framing the districting as having a partisan—rather than a racial—purpose.
—Jeannie Suk Gersen, New Yorker, 2 May 2026
Rare as that scenario is, the captain of the Jeju flight, Han Gwang-seop, had used a simulator to practice landing a plane with two dead or severely damaged engines.
—James Glanz, New York Times, 1 May 2026
Why go so severely against the will of the people, as expressed in their approval of the Fair District amendments to the state Constitution?
—Sun Sentinel Editorial Board, Sun Sentinel, 1 May 2026
While the small batteries of most drones severely restrict flight times, this model flies tethered to a ground station, using power over Ethernet to stay up for six to eight hours at a time.
—Rob Pegoraro, PC Magazine, 1 May 2026
Without tactile sensing, robots are severely limited.
—IEEE Spectrum, 30 Apr. 2026
Tim Johnson, Chicago Tribune, 3 May 2026
Online adult platforms are being severely restricted these days as new laws banning materials involving adults pretending to be under 18 are put into place.
—Lizzie Lanuza, StyleCaster, 3 May 2026
Made in response to a difficult breakup, the work alludes to two lovers parting ways, but also to Pau’s memories of isolation as a severely asthmatic child in a notoriously polluted city, lying in bed staring at the wall and inventing stories to distract herself from the difficulty of breathing.
—Pauline J. Yao, Artforum, 2 May 2026
His unmistakable advice was to use the fact that Black voters tend to vote Democratic to defend drawing a map that severely weakens Black voting power, by framing the districting as having a partisan—rather than a racial—purpose.
—Jeannie Suk Gersen, New Yorker, 2 May 2026
Rare as that scenario is, the captain of the Jeju flight, Han Gwang-seop, had used a simulator to practice landing a plane with two dead or severely damaged engines.
—James Glanz, New York Times, 1 May 2026
Why go so severely against the will of the people, as expressed in their approval of the Fair District amendments to the state Constitution?
—Sun Sentinel Editorial Board, Sun Sentinel, 1 May 2026
While the small batteries of most drones severely restrict flight times, this model flies tethered to a ground station, using power over Ethernet to stay up for six to eight hours at a time.
—Rob Pegoraro, PC Magazine, 1 May 2026
Without tactile sensing, robots are severely limited.
—IEEE Spectrum, 30 Apr. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for severely
Adverb
-
After Talley’s initial court hearing Monday, Fraternal Order of Police Lodge 7 President John Catanzara and Illinois Comptroller Susana Mendoza were among several officials who harshly criticized the passage of the SAFE-T Act and Lyke’s decision to grant Talley pretrial release.—
Caroline Kubzansky,
Chicago Tribune,
28 Apr. 2026
-
Again, Gulutzan was reluctant to criticize his team too harshly given how close the series has been.—
Mark Lazerus,
New York Times,
27 Apr. 2026
Adverb
-
These special releases can be extremely valuable, especially if only a small batch is issued.—
Nina Derwin,
Martha Stewart,
30 Apr. 2026
-
The innermost region of any solar system, closest to the parent star, will be extremely hot and subject to large amounts of radiation.—
Big Think,
Big Think,
30 Apr. 2026
Adverb
-
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
-
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
-
However, the path to the starting lineup may not be terribly long a wait for Parker.—
Joe Buscaglia,
New York Times,
30 Apr. 2026
-
All told, the destructive flooding killed at least 136 people along a several-mile stretch of the river, raising questions about how things went so terribly wrong.—
Jim Vertuno,
Los Angeles Times,
30 Apr. 2026
Adverb
-
The 2021 army takeover triggered massive public resistance that was brutally suppressed, triggering a bloody civil war that has killed thousands of people.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
30 Apr. 2026
-
Even before the war began, hardship and inflation provoked nationwide protests that were brutally repressed.—
Tim Lister,
CNN Money,
28 Apr. 2026
Adverb
-
And yes, in 2026, rage coming from either side of the aisle is an incredibly powerful tool for marketing.—
Alison Foreman,
IndieWire,
28 Apr. 2026
-
But there’s something incredibly unnatural about the fast attention of the internet.—
Charlie Harding,
Vulture,
28 Apr. 2026
Adverb
-
For most of the nation’s history, the former Confederate states have worked hard to minimize the political influence of Black residents in particular.—
Vann R. Newkirk II,
The Atlantic,
2 May 2026
-
Joyce, the Angels’ hard-throwing reliever, is the one whose return is most eagerly awaited by fans.—
Jeff Fletcher,
Oc Register,
2 May 2026
Adverb
-
In December, his newspaper The Washington Post, against the wishes of staffers, launched an AI podcast feature that badly regurgitates its articles, with predictably disastrous results.—
Frank Landymore,
Futurism,
30 Apr. 2026
-
The badly decomposed remains of a woman were found Wednesday evening in a dumpster near an Oakland freeway offramp, authorities said.—
Harry Harris,
Mercury News,
30 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Severely.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/severely. Accessed 6 May. 2026.
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