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severe

/sɪˈvɪɹ/adjective2 syllables

Severe means: causing fear or anxiety by threatening great harm.

Synonyms for severe34

adjective, as in causing fear or anxiety by threatening great harm

dangerous, grave, grievous, serious, life-threatening, critical

adjective, as in severely simple

austere, stark, stern, plain

adjective, as in intensely or extremely bad or unpleasant in degree or quality

terrible, wicked, intense

adjective, as in very strong or vigorous

hard, knockout, strong

adjective, as in unsparing and uncompromising in discipline or judgment

spartan, nonindulgent, strict

adjective, as in very bad in degree or extent

bad

also used for severe

extreme, brutal, heartless, heavy, rigorous, callous, cold, cold-eyed, modest, simple, bare, chaste, inornate, quiet

Includes material from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.

What does severe mean?6

adjective

1

causing fear or anxiety by threatening great harm“a dangerous operation”

2

severely simple“a stark interior”

3

intensely or extremely bad or unpleasant in degree or quality“severe pain”

4

very strong or vigorous“a hard left to the chin”

5

unsparing and uncompromising in discipline or judgment“a parent severe to the pitch of hostility”

6

very bad in degree or extent“a severe worldwide depression”

Definitions from the Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.

What rhymes with severe?51

Show 40 near rhymes
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All 51 rhymes for severe, grouped by syllable

Severe in a sentence

  • In severe cases, cracks can form or it can snap apart.fcbond
  • On the whole, the country has a severe climate.GiggyMantis
  • In my family, the punishment for lying was severe.Source_VOA
  • In severe weather, it's best to stay indoors.Source_VOA
  • If you're withholding information, there could be severe consequences.CK
  • As soon as she hugged him, he felt a severe pain.AlanF_US
  • The law, as it is, is not so severe.unknown
  • In many countries, the death penalty is the most severe punishment.AlanF_US

Sentences from Tatoeba, CC BY 2.0 FR, credited to their authors.

Forms of severe

as a adjective

comparative
severer
superlative
severest