What does "austerity" mean?
Severity of manners or life; extreme rigor or strictness; harsh discipline.
Austerity
/ɔˈstɛɹɪti/ noun
noun ·Common ·High school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: Severity of manners or life; extreme rigor or strictness; harsh discipline.
- Grammar: austerity is listed as noun.
- Nearest alternatives: abstinence, albigensianism, anchoritic monasticism, anchoritism.
- Useful contrasts: adornments, beneficence, caparisons.
- Usage evidence: The fiscal austerity may lead to an overkill of the economy.
How to use "austerity"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "austerity" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "austerity" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "austerity" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "austerity" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "austerity" is acting as noun in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "abstinence" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
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Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "austerity", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 Severity of manners or life; extreme rigor or strictness; harsh discipline. countable, uncountable
"The most rigid and noted of the English ladies resident in the French capital acknowledged and countenanced her; the virtuous Lady Elderbury, the severe Lady Rockminster, the venerable Countess of Southdown—people, in a word, renowned for austerity, and of quite a dazzling moral purity:—so great and beneficent an influence had the possession of ten (some said twenty) thousand a year exercised upon Lady Clavering’s character and reputation"
- 2 the trait of great self-denial (especially refraining from worldly pleasures) wordnet
- 3 Freedom from adornment; plainness; severe simplicity. countable, uncountable
"One critic [Madeleine Schwartz] recently noted that the politics of Rooney’s novels were largely “gestural,” with airy mentions of Gaza or austerity protests but not much radical substance."
- 4 A policy of deficit-cutting, which by definition requires lower spending, higher taxes, or both. countable, uncountable
"He said France clearly wanted to "close one page and open another". He reiterated his opposition to austerity alone as the only way out of Europe's crisis: "My final duty, and I know I'm being watched from beyond our borders, is to put Europe back on the path of growth and employment.""
- 5 Sourness and harshness to the taste. countable, obsolete, uncountable
Synonyms
All synonymsExample
"The fiscal austerity may lead to an overkill of the economy."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "austerity"?
Common synonyms include: abstinence, albigensianism, anchoritic monasticism, anchoritism, asceticism, asceticism.
How do you use "austerity" in a sentence?
The fiscal austerity may lead to an overkill of the economy.
How do you pronounce "austerity"?
Pronounced /ɔˈstɛɹɪti/.
Etymology
From Ancient Greek αὐστηρότης (austērótēs, “bitter, harsh”). Morphologically austere + -ity.