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
How and when your dark circles go away will depend on their cause and severity.
—
Caroline Shannon Karasik, InStyle, 15 Mar. 2026
The Toyota driver was critically hurt and had to be extricated by local fire personnel, and was airlifted to a hospital in Chicago due to the severity of her injuries.
—Jeramie Bizzle, CBS News, 15 Mar. 2026
The dress’s true severity had been made clear.
—Han Ong, New Yorker, 15 Mar. 2026
The Cubs aren’t expecting to know more about Suzuki’s injury, including the severity of it, until he is examined by team doctors.
—Meghan Montemurro, Chicago Tribune, 15 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for severity
Caroline Shannon Karasik, InStyle, 15 Mar. 2026
The Toyota driver was critically hurt and had to be extricated by local fire personnel, and was airlifted to a hospital in Chicago due to the severity of her injuries.
—Jeramie Bizzle, CBS News, 15 Mar. 2026
The dress’s true severity had been made clear.
—Han Ong, New Yorker, 15 Mar. 2026
The Cubs aren’t expecting to know more about Suzuki’s injury, including the severity of it, until he is examined by team doctors.
—Meghan Montemurro, Chicago Tribune, 15 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for severity
Recent Examples of Synonyms for severity
Noun
-
Experts recommend descaling every one to three months, depending on water hardness, and suggest preventative measures like occasional hot cycles, using the correct detergent amount, and regular wiping of machine parts.—
Madeline Buiano,
Martha Stewart,
14 Mar. 2026
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The Liquefy choice offers a dedicated interface with control over brush size, hardness, opacity, ramp type (Gaussian, Linear, and several more), and speed.—
Michael Muchmore,
PC Magazine,
13 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
And there’s little strictness about ideological consistency.—
Charles Duhigg,
New Yorker,
26 Jan. 2026
-
His mother’s strictness helped Harewood avoid getting caught up in selling drugs.—
Raisa Habersham,
Miami Herald,
16 Jan. 2026
Noun
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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
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Lyons said the rigidity sometimes created stress in her own life, too.—
Lily Hautau,
CNN Money,
21 Mar. 2026
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Gosling voices the film’s thought-provoking questions about victimization and villainy with full commitment, and his rigidity — that tall posture, those limitless eyes — add another layer to the work.—
Roxana Hadadi,
Vulture,
20 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
Sunlight naturally sanitizes, and air drying prevents the harshness of high heat.—
Ashlyn Needham,
Southern Living,
14 Feb. 2026
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The tinted visor that Morgan Geekie wore for two games against the Chicago Blackhawks and Dallas Stars in January could help mute the lights’ harshness.—
Fluto Shinzawa,
New York Times,
1 Feb. 2026
Noun
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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
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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
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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
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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 Mar. 2026.
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