austere
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austere
- /ɒˈstɪə(ɹ)/ UK
- /ɔːˈstɪə(ɹ)/ UK
- /ɔˈstiɹ/ US
- /ɑˈstiɹ/ cot caught merger
Rhymes with -ɪə(ɹ)
Where it comes from
From Ancient Greek αὐστηρός (austērós, “bitter, harsh, astringent”), having the specific meaning “making the tongue dry” (originally used of fruits, wines), related to αὔω (aúō, “to singe”), αὖος (aûos, “dry”).
adjective austerer · more austere · austerest · most austere
-
Grim or severe in manner or appearance.
The headmistress was an austere old woman.
Similar: stern, strict, forbidding, ascetic, brutal, callous, cold, insensate, hardhanded, cold-eyed, cruel, dour
-
Lacking decoration; trivial; not extravagant or gaudy.
The interior of the church was as austere as the parishioners were dour.
Similar: simple, plain, unadorned, unembellished, austere, bare, chaste, inornate, modest, quiet, severe, spartan · Opposite: overwrought, flamboyant, extravagant, gaudy, flashy, bedizened, blatant, blingish, brash, campy, catchpenny, chichi
- Adhering to the economic policy of austerity. Counterintuitively, in an effort to be austere and save money, cities which only remove a crossing every couple of years manage to be way less efficient at it than Melbourne has been.
- Harsh; astringent. It is like a small plum, nearly globular in shape, black covered with a bluish bloom, and with a very austere taste.
Thesaurus
Closest in meaning: stern, severe, stark, spartan, abstemious, nonindulgent, plain, ascetical, ascetic, harsh, crude, grim, drab, rigid, hard-line, difficult
Translations
Talk about this word "austere." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/austere. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026. austere. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/austere "austere." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/austere.Cite this
@misc{austere_2026,
title = {austere},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/austere},
urldate = {2026-11-06}
}
