Severe

Pronunciation

• UK IPA: /sɪˈvɪə/
• Rhymes: -ɪə(ɹ)

Origin

From Latin severus ("severe, serious, grave in demeanor").

Full definition of severe

Adjective

1. Very bad or intense.
• 2012-01, Donald Worster, A Drier and Hotter Future, Phoenix and Lubbock are both caught in severe drought, and it is going to get much worse. We may see many such dust storms in the decades ahead, along with species extinctions, radical disturbance of ecosystems, and intensified social conflict over land and water. Welcome to the Anthropocene, the epoch when humans have become a major geological and climatic force.
2. Strict or harsh.
3. Sober, plain in appearance, austere.

Synonyms

Antonyms

• (very bad or intense) mild
• (very bad or intense) minor
• (strict or harsh) lenient

Derived terms

• severely (adverb)
• severity (noun)
• severeness (noun)

Anagrams

• reeves