stern 1
— sternly , adv. — sternness , n.
/sterrn/ , adj., sterner, sternest .
1. firm, strict, or uncompromising: stern discipline.
2. hard, harsh, or severe: a stern reprimand.
3. rigorous or austere; of an unpleasantly serious character: stern times.
4. grim or forbidding in aspect: a stern face.
[ bef. 1000; ME; OE styrne ]
Syn. 1, 2. adamant, unrelenting, unsympathetic, cruel, unfeeling. STERN, SEVERE, HARSH agree in referring to methods, aspects, manners, or facial expressions. STERN implies uncompromising, inflexible firmness, and sometimes a hard, forbidding, or withdrawn aspect or nature: a stern parent. SEVERE implies strictness, lack of sympathy, and a tendency to impose a hard discipline on others: a severe judge. HARSH suggests a great severity and roughness, and cruel, unfeeling treatment of others: a harsh critic.
Ant. 1. lenient.
stern 2
/sterrn/ , n.
1. the after part of a vessel (often opposed to stem ).
2. the back or rear of anything.
3. ( cap. ) Astron. the constellation Puppis.
4. Fox Hunting. the tail of a hound.
[ 1250-1300; ME sterne, prob. stjorn steering (done aft; see STERNPOST) ]