Severe

ahd-5
  • adjective. Unsparing, harsh, or strict, as in treatment of others.
  • adjective. Marked by or requiring strict adherence to rigorous standards or high principles.
  • adjective. Stern or forbidding, as in manner or appearance.
  • adjective. Extremely plain in substance or style.
  • adjective. Causing great discomfort, damage, or distress.
  • adjective. Very dangerous or harmful; grave or grievous.
  • adjective. Extremely difficult to perform or endure; trying.
  • The Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia
  • Serious or earnest in feeling, manner, or appearance; without levity; sedate; grave; austere; not light, lively, or cheerful.
  • Very strict in judgment, discipline, or ac tion; not mild or indulgent; rigorous; harsh; rigid; merciless: as, severe criticism; severe punishment.
  • Strictly regulated by rule or principle; exactly conforming to a standard; rigidly methodical; hence, in lit., art, etc., avoiding, or not exhibiting or permitting, unnecessary or florid ornament, amplification, or the like; restrained; not luxuriant; always keeping measure; pure in line and form; chaste in conception; subordinated to a high ideal: as, a severe style of writing; the severest style of Greek architecture; the severe school of German music.
  • Sharp; afflictive; distressing; violent; extreme: as, severe pain, anguish, or torture; severe cold; a severe winter.
  • Difficult to be endured; trying; critical; rigorous: as, a severe test; a severe examination.
  • Synonyms and Harsh, Strict, etc. (see austere), unrelenting.
  • Exact, accurate, unadorned, chaste.
  • Cutting, keen, biting.
  • the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English
  • adjective. Serious in feeling or manner; sedate; grave; austere; not light, lively, or cheerful.
  • adjective. Very strict in judgment, discipline, or government; harsh; not mild or indulgent; rigorous.
  • adjective. 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.
  • adjective. Sharp; afflictive; distressing; violent; extreme.
  • adjective. Difficult to be endured; exact; critical; rigorous.
  • Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License
  • adjective. Very bad or intense.
  • adjective. Strict or harsh.
  • adjective. Sober, plain in appearance, austere.
  • WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.
  • adjective. unsparing and uncompromising in discipline or judgment
  • adjective. severely simple
  • adjective. intensely or extremely bad or unpleasant in degree or quality
  • adjective. causing fear or anxiety by threatening great harm
  • adjective. very strong or vigorous
  • adjective. very bad in degree or extent