[se.vere] adj se.ver.er ; -est [MF or L; MF, fr. L severus] (1548) 1 a: strict in judgment, discipline, or government b: of a strict or stern bearing or manner: austere
2: rigorous in restraint, punishment, or requirement: stringent, restrictive
3: strongly critical or condemnatory: censorious "a ~ critic"
4. a: maintaining a scrupulously exacting standard of behavior or self-discipline b: establishing exacting standards of accuracy and integrity in intellectual processes "a ~ logician"
5: sober or restrained in decoration or manner: plain
6. a: inflicting physical discomfort or hardship: harsh "~ winters" b: inflicting pain or distress: grievous "a ~ wound" 7: requiring great effort: arduous "a ~ test" 8: of a great degree: serious "~ depression" -- se.vere.ly adv -- se.vere.ness n -- se.ver.i.ty n syn severe, stern, austere, ascetic mean given to or marked by strict discipline and firm restraint. severe implies standards enforced without indulgence or laxity and may suggest harshness "severe military discipline". stern stresses inflexibility and inexorability of temper or character "stern arbiters of public morality". austere stresses absence of warmth, color, or feeling and may apply to rigorous restraint, simplicity, or self-denial "living an austere life in the country". ascetic implies abstention from pleasure and comfort or self-indulgence as spiritual discipline "the ascetic life of the monastic orders".