Adjacent Words

severeness definitions

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WordNet (r) 3.0 (2005)

n
1: used of the degree of something undesirable e.g. pain or weather [syn: badness, severity, severeness]
2: something hard to endure; "the asperity of northern winters" [syn: asperity, grimness, hardship, rigor, rigour, severity, severeness, rigorousness, rigourousness]
3: extreme plainness [syn: austereness, severity, severeness]
4: excessive sternness; "severity of character"; "the harshness of his punishment was inhuman"; "the rigors of boot camp" [syn: severity, severeness, harshness, rigor, rigour, rigorousness, rigourousness, inclemency, hardness, stiffness]

Merriam Webster's

noun see severe

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Severe Se*vere", a. [Compar. Severer; superl. Severest.] [L. severus; perhaps akin to Gr. ??? awe, ??? revered, holy, solemn, Goth. swikns innocent, chaste: cf. F. s['e]v[`e]re. Cf. Asseverate, Persevere.] 1. Serious in feeeling or manner; sedate; grave; austere; not light, lively, or cheerful. Your looks alter, as your subject does, From kind to fierce, from wanton to severe. --Waller. 2. Very strict in judgment, discipline, or government; harsh; not mild or indulgent; rigorous; as, severe criticism; severe punishment. ``Custody severe.'' --Milton. Come! you are too severe a moraler. --Shak. Let your zeal, if it must be expressed in anger, be always more severe against thyself than against others. --Jer. Taylor. 3. Rigidly methodical, or adherent to rule or principle; exactly conformed to a standard; not allowing or employing unneccessary ornament, amplification, etc.; strict; -- said of style, argument, etc. ``Restrained by reason and severe principles.'' --Jer. Taylor. The Latin, a most severe and compendious language. --Dryden. 4. Sharp; afflictive; distressing; violent; extreme; as, severe pain, anguish, fortune; severe cold. 5. Difficult to be endured; exact; critical; rigorous; as, a severe test. Syn: Strict; grave; austere; stern; morose; rigid; exact; rigorous; hard; rough; harsh; censorious; tart; acrimonious; sarcastic; satirical; cutting; biting; keen; bitter; cruel. See Strict. -- Se*vere"ly, adv. -- Se*vere"ness, n.