as in harshly
in a manner so as to cause loss or suffering
sternly reprimanded the prosecuting attorney for making comments that never should have been heard by the jury
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Recent Examples of sternly
The aunties who sternly monitor the tables here will take and deliver your order, but please do not expect guidance or friendship.
—
Ligaya Mishan, New York Times, 11 May 2026
Did DeSantis call Uthmeier on the carpet and sternly instruct him to follow the law?
—Orlando Sentinel Editorial Board, The Orlando Sentinel, 22 Mar. 2026
After sternly addressing the company executives who put the city through a year-long court battle, the Leavenworth Planning Commission on Monday evening voted 5-1 to recommend granting CoreCivic’s zoning application to operate for at least three years.
—Matthew Kelly
february 3, Kansas City Star, 3 Feb. 2026
The lawsuit comes days after Austin voters sternly rejected a 20% property tax increase as the city struggles to overcome a budget deficit.
—Dante Motley, Austin American Statesman, 6 Nov. 2025
This folly—which Iran has sternly warned against—is immoral, unjustified, and unlawful.
—Amira El-Fekki, MSNBC Newsweek, 2 Sep. 2025
Sulmona gave the Catholic world a pope, Innocent VII in the 15th century, but Piazza XX Settembre is the location of Sulmona’s foremost historical figure, the greatest of all Roman poets, Ovid, whose bronze statue stands sternly atop a pedestal.
—John Mariani, Forbes.com, 5 Aug. 2025
Ligaya Mishan, New York Times, 11 May 2026
Did DeSantis call Uthmeier on the carpet and sternly instruct him to follow the law?
—Orlando Sentinel Editorial Board, The Orlando Sentinel, 22 Mar. 2026
After sternly addressing the company executives who put the city through a year-long court battle, the Leavenworth Planning Commission on Monday evening voted 5-1 to recommend granting CoreCivic’s zoning application to operate for at least three years.
—Matthew Kelly
february 3, Kansas City Star, 3 Feb. 2026
The lawsuit comes days after Austin voters sternly rejected a 20% property tax increase as the city struggles to overcome a budget deficit.
—Dante Motley, Austin American Statesman, 6 Nov. 2025
This folly—which Iran has sternly warned against—is immoral, unjustified, and unlawful.
—Amira El-Fekki, MSNBC Newsweek, 2 Sep. 2025
Sulmona gave the Catholic world a pope, Innocent VII in the 15th century, but Piazza XX Settembre is the location of Sulmona’s foremost historical figure, the greatest of all Roman poets, Ovid, whose bronze statue stands sternly atop a pedestal.
—John Mariani, Forbes.com, 5 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for sternly
Adverb
-
Later, people tell me that the police interrogated her like a potential suspect—not harshly, just because of standard procedure.—
Akash Kapur,
New Yorker,
12 May 2026
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The bill is separate from a law passed in March that approved the death penalty for Palestinians convicted of murdering Israelis, a measure harshly condemned by the international community and rights groups as discriminatory and inhumane.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
11 May 2026
Adverb
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Duren severely underperformed in the postseason after having a career year.—
Hunter Patterson,
New York Times,
18 May 2026
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And because harpies rely on large emergent trees for nesting and an extensive, continuous canopy for hunting, even partial deforestation will severely disrupt their ability to breed and forage.—
Scott Travers,
Forbes.com,
17 May 2026
Adverb
-
The first of the four chapters is an oppressively gray-toned, narratively diffuse spy thriller, set amid the mists of what appears to be the Second World War.—
Justin Chang,
New Yorker,
18 Dec. 2025
-
The second planet from the sun has a completely inhospitable surface, with temperatures reaching 863 degrees Fahrenheit (462 degrees Celsius) and a crushing pressure underneath an oppressively thick atmosphere.—
Keith Cooper,
Space.com,
1 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Sternly.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/sternly. Accessed 20 May. 2026.
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