SEVERITY Synonyms: 46 Similar and Opposite Words

severity

noun

sə-ˈver-ə-tē

Definition of severity

as in hardness

the quality or state of being demanding or unyielding (as in discipline or criticism) even though no one expected the film to be a hit with the critics, the director was taken aback by the severity of the criticism

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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 severity Blumenreich said there are different severities of strokes dependent on the size and location of the stroke. — Livi Stanford, Hartford Courant, 3 Nov. 2026 In its first month, Anthropic’s Project Glasswing helped partners discover over 10,000 high- and critical-severity vulnerabilities, with some reporting discovery rates more than 10 times higher. — Alex Spokoiny, Forbes.com, 30 Oct. 2026 And dry forests and parched soils significantly increase the likelihood and severity of wildfires. — Ava Berger, NPR, 29 Oct. 2026 Legislators in 1922 could not have foreseen the midcentury population boom or the severity of climate change. — Gaby Del Valle, The Verge, 29 Oct. 2026 See All Example Sentences for severity

Recent Examples of Synonyms for severity

Noun

Chrysoberyl is a rare gemstone prized for its exceptional hardness and brilliance, known for its honey and chartreuse hues that shift under the light, making Khaled’s one-of-a-kind watch shine that much brighter.

— Taylor Stoddard, Robb Report, 21 Oct. 2026
Tooth enamel is the hardest substance in the human body, measuring about 5 on the Mohs hardness scale, which is higher than some types of iron and steel, according to the Cleveland Clinic.

— Ryan Brennan, Miami Herald, 20 Oct. 2026

Definition of hardness

Noun

Let strictness with yourself earn your right to high expectations of others.

— Brendan Keegan, Forbes.com, 23 Sep. 2026
Her clever approach looks at a large number of middle schools in Norway, ranking their divergent smartphone policies across a range from strictness to leniency.

— Joshua Rothman, New Yorker, 4 Sep. 2026

Definition of strictness

Noun

Flores was a disciplinarian whose icy sternness and sharp tongue wore on some players.

— Barry Jackson, Miami Herald, 26 Oct. 2026
Saura had a large sense of the humor, which struck those who got to know him, belying the sternness of his public visage with his playful banter and frequent chuckle.

— John Hopewell, Variety, 6 Mar. 2026

Definition of sternness

Noun

Within that rigidity lay a fear of becoming overwhelmed by patients’ suffering and then unsettled just before operating.

— Robert M. Kinast, STAT, 3 Nov. 2026
Embracing flexibility over rigidity gives materials scientists a scalable blueprint for designing custom materials from scratch.

— Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 2 Nov. 2026

Definition of rigidity

Noun

The high-end makes Rihanna’s voice a bit sibilant and otherwise gives a harshness to the track.

— Mark Knapp, PC Magazine, 3 Nov. 2026
Fresh garlic gets much of its sharp aroma from sulfur compounds like allicin, and those compounds change during aging, so black garlic loses much of that harshness.

— Ryan Brennan, Charlotte Observer, 2 Nov. 2026

Definition of harshness

Noun

These rules were enforced with various levels of stringency throughout the week, but several journalists complained of having to argue with security staff in order to bring in innocuous items such as laptops and cosmetics.

— Beatrice Nolan, Fortune, 23 Feb. 2026
The administration says that this risk model is too cautious, leading to costly conservatism in reactor design, staffing redundancies and stringency in licensing.

— Katy Huff, Scientific American, 23 Jan. 2026

Definition of stringency

Noun

Frankie wanted to rid himself of rigidness.

— Danielle Paquette The Washington Post, Arkansas Online, 12 Apr. 2026
Aristidou utilizes Danae, whose controlling dad suffocates her with his seemingly overbearing rigidness, as a counterpoint to the other extreme of fatherhood.

— Carlos Aguilar, Variety, 31 Jan. 2026

Definition of rigidness

Browse Nearby Words

severing

severity

severs

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“Severity.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/severity. Accessed 10 Nov. 2026.

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Synonyms of severity

noun

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