The meaning of Austere

adjective

Not friendly or forthcoming; cool and distant.

Usage examples:

They were courteous but faintly aloof

adjective

Not taking part in things, esp. in a way that seems unfriendly

Usage examples:

Is she aloof and arrogant or just shy?, when they argued, i remained aloof.

adjective

Uncomfortably or unpleasantly cold.

Usage examples:

A chilly february evening

adjective

Cold but not freezing

Usage examples:

A chilly morning, fig. their relationship was decidedly chilly (= unfriendly) after the argument.

adjective

Of or at a low or relatively low temperature, especially when compared with the human body.

Usage examples:

A freezing cold day

noun

A low temperature; cold weather; a cold environment.

Usage examples:

My teeth chattered with the cold

adverb

Completely; entirely.

Usage examples:

We stopped cold behind a turn in the staircase

adjective

Far away in space or time.

Usage examples:

Distant parts of the world

adjective

Far away in space or time

Usage examples:

She dreamed of traveling to distant lands., we could hear the sound of distant thunder.

adjective

Far away

Usage examples:

A distant country, she could hear the distant sound of fireworks exploding.

adjective

Relentlessly severe, stern, or gloomy in manner or appearance.

Usage examples:

A hard, dour, humourless fanatic

adjective

(of a person’s appearance or manner) very serious and sad, and likely to judge people severely

Usage examples:

A dour look

adjective

Of, containing, or reminiscent of flint.

Usage examples:

Flinty soil

adjective

Made of or like flint

Usage examples:

A flinty material, he looked at me with flinty eyes.

adjective

Unfriendly or threatening in appearance.

Usage examples:

A grim and forbidding building

verb

Refuse to allow (something).

Usage examples:

I can see why phones were forbidden

adjective

Done in accordance with convention or etiquette; suitable for or constituting an official or important occasion.

Usage examples:

A formal dinner party

noun

An evening dress.

Usage examples:

Cocktail parties every night so the ladies can show off their formals

adjective

Very cold in temperature.

Usage examples:

The air was frigid, and spectators shivered against the cold

adjective

(of weather conditions or the conditions in a room) extremely cold

Usage examples:

Few plants can grow in such a frigid environment.

adjective

Unfriendly or very formal

Usage examples:

She turned her frigid gaze on him.

adjective

(of the weather) very cold, with frost forming on surfaces.

Usage examples:

A cold and frosty morning

adjective

Unfriendly or not welcoming

Usage examples:

A frosty manner, we each had a root beer served in a frosty glass with a big handle.

adjective

Very cold, with a thin layer of white ice covering everything

Usage examples:

The frosty air stung my cheeks., it was a cold and frosty morning.

adjective

Very serious or gloomy.

Usage examples:

His grim expression

adjective

Not good; having no chance of a good result

Usage examples:

The outlook for a full recovery was grim., the future looks grim for workers who are losing their j…

adjective

Unpleasantly rough or jarring to the senses.

Usage examples:

Drenched in a harsh white neon light

adjective

Unkind or cruel or uncivil

adjective

Unkind or cruel

Usage examples:

Harsh criticism, a harsh winter, harsh lighting

adjective

Covered with or consisting of ice.

Usage examples:

There were icy patches on the roads

adjective

(of a place) situated far from the main centres of population; distant.

Usage examples:

The valley is remote from the usual tourist routes

noun

Having very little connection with or relationship to.

Usage examples:

The theory seems rather intellectual and remote from everyday experience

adjective

Far away in distance, time, or relation; not close

Usage examples:

Ben grew up in a remote part of montana., it happened in the remote past., there is a remote possib…

adjective

Slow to reveal emotion or opinions.

Usage examples:

He is a reserved, almost taciturn man

verb

Retain for future use.

Usage examples:

Roll out half the dough and reserve the other half

adjective

Tending to keep your feelings or thoughts private rather than showing them

Usage examples:

Marcus is more reserved than his brother.

adjective

(of something bad or undesirable) very great; intense.

Usage examples:

A severe shortage of technicians

adjective

Causing great pain, difficulty, damage, etc.; very serious

Usage examples:

A severe earthquake, the family faced severe challenges when he lost his job., severe criticism

adjective

Resembling steel in colour, brightness, or strength.

Usage examples:

A steely blue

adjective

(of a person’s behavior or character) hard and strong as steel

Usage examples:

Only their steely determination to survive kept them going.

adjective

(of a person or their manner) serious and unrelenting, especially in the assertion of authority and exercise of discipline.

Usage examples:

A smile transformed his stern face

noun

The rearmost part of a ship or boat.

Usage examples:

He stood at the stern of the yacht

adjective

Severe

Usage examples:

Sterner punishment may produce better behavior, but i doubt it., he sternly reminded his son to dri…

adjective

Not easily bent or changed in shape; rigid.

Usage examples:

A stiff black collar

noun

A dead body.

Usage examples:

When the bodies of various stiffs start disappearing from the local morgue, the police are baffled …

verb

Cheat (someone) out of something, especially money.

Usage examples:

Several workers were stiffed out of their pay

adjective

Covered with or full of small pieces of rock.

Usage examples:

Rough stony paths

adjective

Containing a lot of stones

Usage examples:

The ground was too stony to be used as a farm., though we begged him, he gave us a stony look and t…

adjective

Demanding that rules concerning behaviour are obeyed and observed.

Usage examples:

My father was very strict

adjective

Limiting people’s freedom to behave as they wish beyond what is usual

Usage examples:

The school is an old-fashioned institution with strict discipline., do you think stricter laws woul…

adjective

(of a place) lacking fresh air or ventilation.

Usage examples:

A stuffy, overcrowded office

adjective

Formal, boring, and not modern

Usage examples:

A stuffy, arrogant man, the office gets so stuffy in the afternoon.

adjective

Not having or showing strong feelings.

Usage examples:

A flat, unemotional voice

adjective

Not having or expressing strong feelings, often when this is surprising or a bad thing

Usage examples:

Investigators said the couple seemed oddly unemotional about the disappearance., they described him…

adjective

Unsympathetic, harsh, or callous.

Usage examples:

My mother is a cold, unfeeling woman

adjective

Not feeling sympathy for other people’s suffering

Usage examples:

An unfeeling man

adjective

Not friendly.

Usage examples:

She shot him an unfriendly glance