Antonyms for severe
səˈvɪərse·vere

WiktionaryRate these synonyms:2.0 / 1 vote

1. severeadjective

   Very bad or intense.

   Antonyms:
   mild, minor

2. severeadjective

   Antonyms:
   lenient

English Synonyms and AntonymsRate these synonyms:0.0 / 0 votes

1. severe

   That is severe which is devoid of all softness, mildness, tenderness, indulgence or levity, or (in literature and art) devoid of unnecessary ornament, amplification, or embellishment of any kind; as, a severe style; as said of anything painful, severe signifies such as heavily taxes endurance or resisting power; as, a severe pain, fever, or winter. Rigid signifies primarily stiff, resisting any effort to change its shape; a corpse is said to be rigid in death; hence, in metaphorical sense, a rigid person or character is one that resists all efforts to change the will or course of conduct; a rigid rule or statement is one that admits of no deviation. Rigorous is nearly akin to rigid, but is a stronger word, having reference to action or active qualities, as rigid does to state or character; a rigid rule may be rigorously enforced. Strict (Latin stringo, bind) signifies bound or stretched tight, tense, strenuously exact. Stern unites harshness and authority with strictness or severity; stern, as said even of inanimate objects, suggests something authoritative or forbidding. Austere signifies severely simple or temperate, strict in self-restraint or discipline, and similarly unrelenting toward others. We speak of austere morality, rigid rules, rigorous discipline, stern commands, severe punishment, harsh speech or a harsh voice, hard requirements, strict injunctions, and strict obedience. Strict discipline holds one exactly and unflinchingly to the rule; rigorous discipline punishes severely any infraction of it. The austere character is seldom lovely, but it is always strong and may be grand, commanding, and estimable.

   Antonyms:
   affable, bland, easy, genial, gentle, indulgent, lenient, mild, pliable, soft, sweet, tender, tractable, yielding

   Synonyms:
   austere, hard, harsh, inexorable, inflexible, morose, relentless, rigid, rigorous, stern, stiff, strict, uncompromising, unmitigated, unrelenting, unyielding

Complete Dictionary of Synonyms and AntonymsRate these synonyms:0.0 / 0 votes

1. severe

   Antonyms:
   gay, smiling, cheerful, relaxed, jocose, jocund, joyous, mild, genial, indulgent, light, trivial, tri-fling, inconsiderable, inexact, loose, uncritical, lenient, inextreme, moderate, kind, considerate, feeling, tender, gentle

   Synonyms:
   serious, austere, stern, grave, strict, harsh, rigid, rigorous, sharp, afflictive, distressing, violent, extreme, exact, critical, censorious, caustic, sarcastic, cutting, keen, bitter, cruel

Princeton's WordNetRate these antonyms:2.3 / 3 votes

1. severe, terrible, wickedadjective

   intensely or extremely bad or unpleasant in degree or quality

   "severe pain"; "a severe case of flu"; "a terrible cough"; "under wicked fire from the enemy's guns"; "a wicked cough"

   Antonyms:
   noncritical, fancy, mild, weak, indulgent, noncrucial, good

   Synonyms:
   life-threatening, dreadful, distasteful, revolting, pixilated, repellant, foul, implike, repellent, mischievous, arch, austere, serious, awful, puckish, frightful, horrendous, sinful, tremendous, disgustful, dire, loathly, stern, grievous, skanky, repelling, atrocious, painful, prankish, impish, grave, dangerous, yucky, wicked, unholy, dread(a), hard, unspeakable, horrific, terrible, dreaded, abominable, frightening, fearsome, fearful, loathsome, direful, stark, disgusting, spartan, knockout

2. hard, knockout, severeadjective

   very strong or vigorous

   "strong winds"; "a hard left to the chin"; "a knockout punch"; "a severe blow"

   Antonyms:
   noncritical, indulgent, fancy, weak, mild, noncrucial, good

   Synonyms:
   arduous, wicked, grueling, tough, grievous, serious, terrible, toilsome, hard, stark, life-threatening, spartan, stern, heavy, voiceless, laborious, difficult, grave, austere, knockout, gruelling, intemperate, concentrated, punishing, unvoiced, dangerous, operose, backbreaking, surd, strong

3. austere, severe, stark, sternadjective

   severely simple

   "a stark interior"

   Antonyms:
   noncrucial, noncritical, indulgent, good, mild, fancy, weak

   Synonyms:
   life-threatening, perfect(a), consummate(a), unadulterated, double-dyed(a), austere, serious, ascetic, bare, arrant(a), stark, desolate, staring(a), unrelenting, stern, grievous, sodding(a), unappeasable, grave, everlasting(a), crude(a), dangerous, wicked, complete(a), hard, gross(a), terrible, stark(a), pure(a), relentless, barren, unforgiving, blunt, grim, bleak, inexorable, exacting, thoroughgoing(a), strict, ascetical, utter(a), spartan, knockout

4. severe, spartanadjective

   unsparing and uncompromising in discipline or judgment

   "a parent severe to the pitch of hostility"- H.G.Wells; "a hefty six-footer with a rather severe mien"; "a strict disciplinarian"; "a Spartan upbringing"

   Antonyms:
   noncrucial, noncritical, mild, fancy, indulgent, good, weak

   Synonyms:
   serious, stark, spartan, ascetical, grave, knockout, austere, terrible, wicked, hard, life-threatening, stern, ascetic, dangerous, grievous

5. dangerous, grave, grievous, serious, severe, life-threateningadjective

   causing fear or anxiety by threatening great harm

   "a dangerous operation"; "a grave situation"; "a grave illness"; "grievous bodily harm"; "a serious wound"; "a serious turn of events"; "a severe case of pneumonia"; "a life-threatening disease"

   Antonyms:
   indulgent, fancy, weak, mild, good, noncrucial, noncritical

   Synonyms:
   sober, serious, wicked, stark, unsafe, terrible, hard, spartan, stern, heavy, unplayful, weighty, monstrous, grave, good, grievous, atrocious, sedate, flagitious, life-threatening, dangerous, knockout, austere, heartbreaking, heartrending, solemn

6. severeadjective

   very bad in degree or extent

   "a severe worldwide depression"; "the house suffered severe damage"

   Antonyms:
   noncritical, indulgent, mild, weak, noncrucial, good, fancy

   Synonyms:
   serious, stark, spartan, grave, knockout, austere, terrible, wicked, hard, life-threatening, stern, dangerous, grievous

Synonyms, Antonyms & Associated WordsRate these synonyms:0.0 / 0 votes

1. severeadjective

   Synonyms:
   drastic, harsh, stern, rigorous, exact, cruel, serious, sedate, grave, austere, sober, distressing, afflictive, sharp, acute, violent, intense, inexorable, stern, exacting, peremptory, unrelenting, unmerciful, plain, austere, unembellished, unadorned, methodical, strict, precise, exact

How to use severe in a sentence?

1. Derek Ochiai:

   Pain tells you you’re injuring something, instead of pounding a treadmill for 90 minutes through severe shin pain, (and) bench pressing with intense shoulder pain, stop. Rest it. Then go back at a lighter level.

2. Gerhard Dannemann:

   In think the flaws are more severe than in the case of Mrs Schavan, we're not talking about a borderline case here.

3. Lucas McConnell:

   No surprises at all; there was a pattern, nothing is going to make an impact on this guy unless there's something severe or certain.

4. Tom Inglesby:

   The purpose of this program is to maximize and accelerate the delivery of antivirals to people who are at the greatest risk of severe Covid infection, and as part of that, we need to make sure we get treatment to people as quickly as possible after they test positive.

5. The United Nations:

   UNICEF... can confirm that cases of severe malnutrition were found among children.

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