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- DictionarySe·vere/səˈvir/
adjective
- 1. (of something bad or undesirable) very great; intense: "a severe shortage of technicians"
- 2. strict or harsh: "the charges would have warranted a severe sentence"
Definition of severe adjective in Oxford Advanced American Dictionary. Meaning, pronunciation, picture, example sentences, grammar, usage notes, synonyms and more.
severe meaning, definition, what is severe: severe problems, injuries, illnesses etc...: Learn more.
1. rigorous or harsh in the treatment of others; strict: a severe parent. 2. serious in appearance or manner; stern. 3. critical or dangerous: a severe illness.
- English
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- Italian
- Latin
- Serbo-Croatian
Etymology
From Middle French, from Latin severus (“severe, serious, grave in demeanor”).
Pronunciation
1. (UK) IPA(key): /sɪˈvɪə/ 2. (US) IPA(key): /sɪˈvɪɹ/ 3. (Canada) IPA(key): /sɪˈviːɹ/, /-vɪɹ/ 4. Rhymes: -ɪə(ɹ)
Adjective
severe (comparative severer or more severe, superlative severest or most severe) 1. Very bad or intense. 1.1. Antonyms: mild, en, minor 1.1. 2012 January, Donald Worster, “A Drier and Hotter Future”, in American Scientist, volume 100, number 1, archived from the original on 26 January 2012, page 70: 1.1.1. Phoenix and Lubbock are both caught in severedrought, and it is going to get much worse. We may see many such [dust] storms in the decades ahead, along with species extinctions, radical di...
Pronunciation
1. IPA(key): [seˈvere] 2. Rhymes: -ere 3. Hyphenation: se‧ve‧re
Adverb
severe 1. severely
Pronunciation
1. IPA(key): /seˈvɛ.re/ 2. Rhymes: -ɛre 3. Hyphenation: se‧vè‧re
Adjective
severe 1. feminine plural of severo
Pronunciation
1. sevēre: (Classical) IPA(key): /seˈu̯eː.re/, [s̠eˈu̯eːrɛ] 2. sevēre: (modern Italianate Ecclesiastical) IPA(key): /seˈve.re/, [seˈvɛːre] 3. sēvēre: (Classical) IPA(key): /seːˈu̯eː.re/, [s̠eːˈu̯eːrɛ] 4. sēvēre: (modern Italianate Ecclesiastical) IPA(key): /seˈve.re/, [seˈvɛːre]
Adjective
sevēre 1. vocative masculine singular of sevērus
Verb
sēvēre 1. third-person plural perfect active indicative of serō
Noun
severe (Cyrillic spelling севере) 1. vocative singular of sever
There are 27 meanings listed in OED's entry for the adjective severe, one of which is labelled obsolete. See ‘Meaning & use’ for definitions, usage, and quotation evidence. severe has developed meanings and uses in subjects including.
These are words and phrases related to severe. Click on any word or phrase to go to its thesaurus page. Or, go to the definition of severe.
Definitions of 'severe' 1. You use severe to indicate that something bad or undesirable is great or intense. [...] 2. Severe punishments or criticisms are very strong or harsh. [...] 3. If you describe the appearance of someone or something as severe, you do not like its plain appearance and lack of decoration. [disapproval] [...] More.
