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
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Recent Examples of severity
The severity of the symptoms and the rising caseload were fueling growing panic in Bunia neighborhoods.
—
ABC News, 19 May 2026
From there a doctor can confirm a diagnosis, gauge severity and determine whether CPAP, lifestyle changes, a GLP-1 medication or some combination makes sense for your specific situation.
—Allison Palmer, Charlotte Observer, 18 May 2026
Painful nodules, recurring abscesses and slow-healing lesions often come and go in cycles, with symptoms that shift in severity and location over time.
—Lauryn Higgins, Flow Space, 18 May 2026
The severity of the disease and the young age of the victims alarmed Rose.
—Nell Greenfieldboyce, NPR, 18 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for severity
ABC News, 19 May 2026
From there a doctor can confirm a diagnosis, gauge severity and determine whether CPAP, lifestyle changes, a GLP-1 medication or some combination makes sense for your specific situation.
—Allison Palmer, Charlotte Observer, 18 May 2026
Painful nodules, recurring abscesses and slow-healing lesions often come and go in cycles, with symptoms that shift in severity and location over time.
—Lauryn Higgins, Flow Space, 18 May 2026
The severity of the disease and the young age of the victims alarmed Rose.
—Nell Greenfieldboyce, NPR, 18 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for severity
Recent Examples of Synonyms for severity
Noun
-
Load size, water hardness, soil level and machine type all affect how much detergent your laundry actually needs per load.—
Ryan Brennan
May 14,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
14 May 2026
-
Going into the study, the team hypothesized that pincers built for generating high crushing force would contain the highest levels of metal to provide maximum hardness, while enrichment in the weaker, slender pincers would be lower.—
Jacek Krywko,
ArsTechnica,
1 May 2026
Noun
-
The ubiquity and strictness of regulation has real business impacts.—
Francesca Cassidy,
Fortune,
31 Mar. 2026
-
And there’s little strictness about ideological consistency.—
Charles Duhigg,
New Yorker,
26 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
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
Noun
-
The Pull-on Jeans deliver the appearance of classic denim with none of the rigidity that usually comes with it.—
Rosie Marder,
Travel + Leisure,
14 May 2026
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According to the Mayo Clinic, symptoms of Huntington's disease can include involuntary jerking or writhing movements, muscle rigidity or contracture, slowed or unusual eye movements, difficulty walking or maintaining balance, and trouble with speech or swallowing.—
Jordan Greene,
PEOPLE,
13 May 2026
Noun
-
Watching people be nice to each other brings the heart rate down and fulfills by proxy our need to shed the harshness of the day.—
Sarah Wang,
PEOPLE,
16 May 2026
-
The harshness or relentlessness of weather can turn friends to lovers, can cause others to lose their minds, can provoke travel across continents, can cancel plans, can reroute rivers, can flood civilizations, can incite both panic and delight, can wash away a life’s work, can set fire to forests.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
11 May 2026
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
Noun
-
The frustration is in the inflexibility.—
Andreas Wiseman,
Deadline,
20 Feb. 2026
-
The Red Sox could also try to move on from Masataka Yoshida, though his contract, injury history and positional inflexibility will hamper his trade value.—
Mac Cerullo,
Boston Herald,
16 Jan. 2026
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
Cite this Entry
“Severity.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/severity. Accessed 25 May. 2026.
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