Severe
/sɪˈvɪɹ/ adj, name
adj, name ·Very common ·Middle school level
Definitions
Adjective
- 1 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."
- 2 Strict or harsh.
"a severe taskmaster"
- 3 Sober, plain in appearance, austere.
"a severe old maiden aunt"
Adjective
- 1 causing fear or anxiety by threatening great harm wordnet
- 2 very bad in degree or extent wordnet
- 3 unsparing and uncompromising in discipline or judgment wordnet
- 4 intensely or extremely bad or unpleasant in degree or quality wordnet
- 5 severely simple wordnet
Show 1 more definition
- 6 very strong or vigorous wordnet
Proper Noun
- 1 A surname.
Example
More examples"Mr Yoshida is too severe with his children."
Etymology
From Middle French, from Latin severus (“severe, serious, grave in demeanor”).