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
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of severity
Curry wouldn't find out the severity of his condition until after the procedure was completed.
—
Angela Andaloro, PEOPLE, 14 Oct. 2025
When a scan reveals osteoporosis, depending on its severity, doctors may prescribe oral medications like Fosamax or Actonel, intravenous formulations like Reclast, daily self-injections of Forteo or Tymlos, or twice-annual injections of Prolia.
—The New York Times News Service Syndicate, San Diego Union-Tribune, 14 Oct. 2025
One person on the ground sustained injuries in the incident, though the severity of their injuries is unknown.
—Melina Khan, USA Today, 13 Oct. 2025
Her singular blend of severity and skittishness is unrivalled in the poetry of her peers.
—Anthony Lane, New Yorker, 13 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for severity
Angela Andaloro, PEOPLE, 14 Oct. 2025
When a scan reveals osteoporosis, depending on its severity, doctors may prescribe oral medications like Fosamax or Actonel, intravenous formulations like Reclast, daily self-injections of Forteo or Tymlos, or twice-annual injections of Prolia.
—The New York Times News Service Syndicate, San Diego Union-Tribune, 14 Oct. 2025
One person on the ground sustained injuries in the incident, though the severity of their injuries is unknown.
—Melina Khan, USA Today, 13 Oct. 2025
Her singular blend of severity and skittishness is unrivalled in the poetry of her peers.
—Anthony Lane, New Yorker, 13 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for severity
Recent Examples of Synonyms for severity
Noun
-
Li, a writer whose stories are compressed and deceptively simple, spoke with humor and a certain hardness, perhaps born of the clarity of unimaginable loss.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
7 Oct. 2025
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Finally, impact strength assesses a material’s ability to absorb sudden shocks without shattering, highlighting that the hardness alone doesn’t always mean toughness.—
Atharva Gosavi,
Interesting Engineering,
26 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
The attorneys speaking with all pointed out that this regulation is in its early days, and the strictness or severity of state reviews of health care private equity transactions is yet to be determined.—
Aman Kidwai,
MSNBC Newsweek,
16 Oct. 2025
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Still, states vary in their strictness.—
Rebecca Schneid,
Time,
31 Aug. 2025
Noun
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Removing the roof required a fair amount of engineering to ensure torsional rigidity, including strengthening the door sills, A-pillars, and adding cross-body braces.—
Sean Evans,
Robb Report,
21 Oct. 2025
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Soft, oversize totes signaled a move toward ease over rigidity.—
Sandra Salibian,
Footwear News,
15 Oct. 2025
Noun
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Middleton aimed to create a score that reflects the harshness and hope of the desert setting.—
Audrey Gibbs,
Nashville Tennessean,
17 Oct. 2025
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The harshness of the language and the raw politicking shocked voters.—
Matt Klink,
Oc Register,
6 Sep. 2025
Noun
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Reportedly, a final deal between the U.S. and the EU was held up over Trump’s distaste for the stringency of the Digital Services Act, a regulation that aims to make the internet safer and more transparent for EU citizens and consumers.—
Meghan Hall,
Sourcing Journal,
8 Sep. 2025
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Further, Minnesota agencies that oversee mining have upheld the stringency of those standards when challenged by mining opponents in court.—
Chicago Tribune,
Chicago Tribune,
19 Aug. 2025
Noun
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An impressive defensive coach, he has occasionally been criticized for a certain regular season inflexibility in his rotations and overplaying his best contributors.—
Alex Kirschenbaum,
MSNBC Newsweek,
21 Sep. 2025
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However, the reality is that the inherent inflexibility of immutability is essential to ensuring business resiliency and provides the invaluable peace of mind that comes with knowing data will always be there, ready to be recovered, no matter what.—
David Bennett,
Forbes.com,
29 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Severity.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/severity. Accessed 23 Oct. 2025.
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