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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
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 severity
Meanwhile, there are doubts about the severity of the security situation that prompted the president to expedite the resettlement of Afrikaners.
—
Shannon K. Kingston, ABC News, 13 May 2025
Around a quarter of adults aged 65 and older are thought to be affected, but until now there hasn't been a way to reliably assess severity.
—Bronwyn Thompson, New Atlas, 11 May 2025
Henry’s unplanned trip to Kansas City to meet with Devers was highly unusual and highlights the severity of the situation.
—Jen McCaffrey, New York Times, 10 May 2025
The student's friends took her to a nearby apartment to rest after the fall, not realizing the severity of her injuries.
—Madison E. Goldberg, People.com, 3 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for severity
Shannon K. Kingston, ABC News, 13 May 2025
Around a quarter of adults aged 65 and older are thought to be affected, but until now there hasn't been a way to reliably assess severity.
—Bronwyn Thompson, New Atlas, 11 May 2025
Henry’s unplanned trip to Kansas City to meet with Devers was highly unusual and highlights the severity of the situation.
—Jen McCaffrey, New York Times, 10 May 2025
The student's friends took her to a nearby apartment to rest after the fall, not realizing the severity of her injuries.
—Madison E. Goldberg, People.com, 3 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for severity
Recent Examples of Synonyms for severity
Noun
-
Routine tests are ran every few hours to check water quality through pH, chlorine, phosphate, fluoride, alkalinity, total hardness, calcium hardness, turbidity and the Langelier Saturation Index, which determines water balance.—
Olivia Stevens,
Chicago Tribune,
30 Apr. 2025
-
Also add calcium chloride if the water's calcium level (hardness) is too low.—
Brandee Gruener,
Southern Living,
21 Apr. 2025
Noun
-
This is clear in the contrast between the death mask that was shown to the public after her assassination, a softened, youthful version, and her real death mask, which shows the facial rigidity of a 60-year-old woman.—
Elizabeth Djinis,
Smithsonian Magazine,
28 Apr. 2025
-
Until Origin started working on the problem, no one made bottle caps from PET because of its rigidity.—
Erik Kobayashi-Solomon,
Forbes,
25 Mar. 2025
Noun
-
Some express bafflement over the stringency of the requirements.—
IEEE Spectrum,
IEEE Spectrum,
30 Apr. 2012
-
The statement went on to explain that the company would increase the stringency of pre-launch testing phases.—
Mark Sparrow,
Forbes,
1 Oct. 2024
Cite this Entry
“Severity.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/severity. Accessed 21 May. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share