adv ·3 syllables ·Moderate ·College level

Definitions

Adverb

1. 1
   In a severe manner.

   "After the first day they left her severely alone, their plea to their husbands, her uncompromising independence."

Adverb

1. 1
   to a severe or serious degree wordnet
2. 2
   causing great damage or hardship wordnet
3. 3
   with sternness; in a severe manner wordnet

Synonyms

All synonyms

seriouslysternlyacutelyasceticallyausterelyawfully

Example

More examples

"The principal severely reproved the students whenever they made a mess in the hallway."

Etymology

From severe + -ly.

Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.