severe
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severe¹
- /sɪˈvɪə/ UK
- /sɪˈvɪɹ/ US
- /sɪˈviːɹ/ Canada
- /-vɪɹ/ Canada
Rhymes with -ɪə(ɹ)
Where it comes from
From Middle French, from Latin severus (“severe, serious, grave in demeanor”).
adjective severer · more severe · severest · most severe
- Very bad or intense. In the severer cases of hookworm the patient sometimes has an appetite for soil, paper, hair, clay, chalk, starch, and other unpalatables.
-
Strict or harsh.
a severe taskmaster
Similar: brutal, hard, heartless, heavy, rigorous, serious, callous, cold, insensate, hardhanded, cold-eyed, cruel · Opposite: lenient
-
Sober, plain in appearance, austere.
a severe old maiden aunt
Similar: modest, simple, austere, bare, chaste, inornate, plain, quiet, severe, spartan, unadorned, unembellished
Severe²
proper noun Severes
- A surname.
Thesaurus
Closest in meaning: austere, hard, stark, terrible, wicked, dangerous, grievous, strict, intense, strong, critical, bad, spartan, serious, knockout, nonindulgent
Translations
Every language
adj very bad or intense
| Español | severo, grave |
|---|---|
| 日本語 | 酷い hidoi |
| 中文 | 嚴重 /严重 yánzhòng |
| हिन्दी | कठोर kaṭhor |
| Português | severo |
| Français | grave, sévère |
| Italiano | rigido, duro, grave |
| Ελληνικά | σφοδρός sfodrós |
| Русский | суро́вый suróvyj, тяжёлый tjažólyj |
| עברית | חָמוּר khamur |
adj strict or harsh
| Español | severo |
|---|---|
| 日本語 | 厳しい kibishii |
| 中文 | 嚴厲 /严厉 yánlì |
| हिन्दी | कठोर kaṭhor |
| Português | duro, rígido, severo |
| Français | sévère |
| Deutsch | streng |
| Italiano | duro, severo, rigido |
| Ελληνικά | αυστηρός afstirós, άτεγκτος átegktos, βαρύς varýs |
| Русский | суро́вый suróvyj, стро́гий strógij, жёсткий žóstkij |
| עברית | קָשֶׁה kashé, קָשׁוּחַ kashúakh |
Talk about this word "severe." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/severe. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026. severe. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/severe "severe." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/severe.Cite this
@misc{severe_2026,
title = {severe},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/severe},
urldate = {2026-11-06}
}
