Severe - English meaning

adjective

(of an unpleasant or unwelcome situation or phenomenon) present or experienced to a severe or intense degree.

Usage examples:

An acute housing shortage

noun

Short for acute accent.

adjective

If a bad situation is acute, it causes severe problems or damage

Usage examples:

She felt acute embarrassment/anxiety/concern at his behaviour., the problem of poverty is particula…

adjective

Worrying or disturbing.

Usage examples:

Our countryside is disappearing at an alarming rate

verb

Make (someone) feel frightened, disturbed, or in danger.

adjective

Causing worry or fear

Usage examples:

Alarming news, there has been an alarming rise in the rate of inflation.

adjective

Causing shock or dismay; horrific.

Usage examples:

The cat suffered appalling injuries during the attack

verb

Greatly dismay or horrify.

Usage examples:

Bankers are appalled at the economic incompetence of some ministers

adjective

Very bad

Usage examples:

Appalling weather, the drive home was appalling.

adjective

Relating to the regions around the north pole.

Usage examples:

An arctic explorer

noun

The regions around the north pole.

noun

The very cold area around the north pole

Usage examples:

Polar bears live in the arctic.

adjective

Characterized by severe self-discipline and abstention from all forms of indulgence, typically for religious reasons.

Usage examples:

An ascetic life of prayer, fasting, and manual labour

noun

A person who follows an ascetic life.

Usage examples:

The composition of hymns of the rig-veda was done by hindu recluses, ascetics, rishis and sages roo…

adjective

Avoiding physical pleasures and living a simple life, often for religious reasons

Usage examples:

They live a very ascetic life.

adjective

Severe or strict in manner or attitude.

Usage examples:

He was an austere man, with a rigidly puritanical outlook

adjective

Very simple, with only the things that are absolutely necessary, especially because of severe limits on money or goods

Usage examples:

An austere childhood during the war

adjective

Plain and without decoration or unnecessary details

Usage examples:

The courtroom was a large, dark chamber, an austere place.

adjective

Very bad or unpleasant.

Usage examples:

The place smelled awful

adverb

Awfully; very.

Usage examples:

We're an awful long way from the motorway

adjective

Extremely bad or unpleasant

Usage examples:

He suffered awful injuries in the crash., we had awful weather., she has an awful boss., what an aw…

adjective

Having a sharp, pungent taste or smell; not sweet.

Usage examples:

Raw berries have an intensely bitter flavour

noun

Beer that is strongly flavoured with hops and has a bitter taste, brewed by top fermentation.

Usage examples:

A pint of bitter

adjective

Having a slightly stinging, strong taste, not salty or sweet

Usage examples:

The coffee was bitter., losing the election was a bitter disappointment., she has no bitterness abo…

adjective

(of an area of land) lacking vegetation and exposed to the elements.

Usage examples:

A bleak and barren moor

noun

A small silvery shoaling fish of the carp family, found in eurasian rivers.

Usage examples:

The flies for pike were naturally bigger than the bleaks, so they left me alone and i got some pike.

adjective

If a place is bleak, it is empty, and not welcoming or attractive

Usage examples:

The house stands on a bleak, windswept hilltop.

adjective

(of heat) intense.

Usage examples:

The blistering heat of the desert

verb

Form blisters on the skin or other surface.

Usage examples:

The surface of the door began to blister

adjective

Very strong and severe

Usage examples:

The vice president launched a blistering attack on senate republicans.

adjective

Abstaining from extramarital, or from all, sexual intercourse.

Usage examples:

What is required of celibate catholic clergy is to remain chaste

adjective

Without having any sexual activity or involvement outside of marriage

Usage examples:

The main character lives a chaste, modest life.

adjective

Not having had sex, or only having a sexual relationship with the person you are married to

Usage examples:

In the past, a woman needed to be chaste to make a good marriage., they exchanged a few chaste kiss…

adjective

Relating to the observation and treatment of actual patients rather than theoretical or laboratory studies.

Usage examples:

Clinical medicine

adjective

(of medical work or teaching) relating to examining and treating someone who is ill

Usage examples:

Clinical tests have so far failed to show the cause of her illness., mac's air of clinical disinter…

adjective

Used to refer to medical work or teaching that relates to the examination and treatment of ill people

Usage examples:

Clinical tests/training, she recently underwent a clinical evaluation in hospital., the department …

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

Expressing adverse or disapproving comments or judgements.

Usage examples:

I was very critical of the previous regime

adjective

Of the greatest importance

Usage examples:

Critical industries, what happens in the next 48 hours is critical., he was admitted to metropolita…

adjective

Extremely important to the progress or success of something

Usage examples:

Critical to/for sth logistics and distribution are critical to an e-commerce venture's success., cr…

adjective

Able or likely to cause harm or injury.

Usage examples:

A dangerous animal

adjective

Able or likely to cause harm or death, or unpleasant problems

Usage examples:

Dangerous chemicals/bacteria, whooping cough is most dangerous for infants., dangerously high winds

adjective

A dangerous person, animal, thing, or activity could harm you

Usage examples:

Dangerous chemicals, the men are armed and dangerous., his parents won't let him play ice hockey be…

adjective

Extremely serious or urgent.

Usage examples:

Misuse of drugs can have dire consequences

adjective

Very serious or extreme

Usage examples:

Cheating will bring dire consequences.

adjective

Very bad

Usage examples:

I thought her latest book was dire!

adjective

Causing anxiety, sorrow or pain; upsetting.

Usage examples:

Some very distressing news

verb

Cause (someone) anxiety, sorrow, or pain.

Usage examples:

I didn't mean to distress you

adjective

Upsetting or worrying

Usage examples:

The news reports about the famine were very distressing., it was deeply distressing for him to see …

adjective

Likely to have a strong or far-reaching effect; radical and extreme.

Usage examples:

A drastic reduction of staffing levels

adjective

(of a change) severe and sudden; extreme

Usage examples:

In the desert there’s a drastic change in temperature from day to night., our lives changed drastic…

adjective

Severe and sudden, or having very noticeable effects

Usage examples:

He is not under pressure from his own electorate to do anything drastic., a drastic decline/drop/re…

adjective

Causing or involving great suffering, fear, or unhappiness; extremely bad or serious.

Usage examples:

There's been a dreadful accident

adjective

Very bad

Usage examples:

I realized i had committed a dreadful mistake.

adjective

Causing fear, shock, or suffering

Usage examples:

The news report was so dreadful that i just had to switch it off., the dreadful sufferings of the p…

adjective

Reaching a high or the highest degree; very great.

Usage examples:

Extreme cold

noun

Either of two abstract things that are as different from each other as possible.

Usage examples:

We represented opposite extremes of college society—he a member of the old guard, i one of the radi…

adjective

Very large in amount or degree

Usage examples:

Extreme pain/stupidity/wealth

adjective

Savagely fierce, cruel, or violent.

Usage examples:

A ferocious beast

adjective

Fierce and violent

Usage examples:

Ferocious wild dogs

adjective

Frightening and violent

Usage examples:

A ferocious dog, a ferocious battle, she's got a ferocious (= very bad) temper., the president came…

adjective

Having or displaying an intense or ferocious aggressiveness.

Usage examples:

Fierce fighting continued throughout the day

adverb

Very; extremely.

Usage examples:

He was fierce proud

adjective

Violent and forceful

Usage examples:

Fierce thunderstorms, the city had been under fierce attack., she’s a fierce critic of us policies.…

adjective

Below 0°c.

Usage examples:

Strong winds and freezing temperatures

noun

The freezing point of water (0°c).

Usage examples:

The temperature was well above freezing

verb

(with reference to a liquid) turn or be turned into ice or another solid as a result of extreme cold.

Usage examples:

In the winter the milk froze

adjective

Very unpleasant, serious, or shocking.

Usage examples:

There's been a most frightful accident

adjective

Of or having a special activity, purpose, or task.

Usage examples:

A functional role

noun

A hole dug in the ground to receive a coffin or dead body, typically marked by a stone or mound.

Usage examples:

The coffin was lowered into the grave

adjective

Giving cause for alarm; serious.

Usage examples:

A matter of grave concern

noun

Another term for grave accent.

adjective

(of something bad) very severe or serious.

Usage examples:

His death was a grievous blow

adjective

Having very serious effects or causing great pain

Usage examples:

It was a grievous head wound, and he was not expected to survive., he was grievously injured.

adjective

Solid, firm, and rigid; not easily broken, bent, or pierced.

Usage examples:

The slate broke on the hard floor

adverb

With a great deal of effort.

Usage examples:

They work hard at school

noun

(of a consonant) pronounced as a velar plosive (as c in cat, g in go ).

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

Able to cause death

Usage examples:

A life-threatening experience/illness

adjective

Relating to monks, nuns, or others living under religious vows, or the buildings in which they live.

Usage examples:

A monastic order

noun

A monk or other follower of a monastic rule.

Usage examples:

Weber's texts also employ the typology to distinguish the asceticism of medieval monastics from tha…

adjective

Of or related to monasteries or monks

adjective

Very bad or unpleasant.

Usage examples:

Plastic bags burn with a nasty, acrid smell

noun

An unpleasant or harmful person or thing.

Usage examples:

A water conditioner to neutralize chlorine and other nasties

Offensive or even (of persons) malicious

adjective

(of a disease) very severe and of very short duration, generally proving quickly fatal.

Usage examples:

The peracute form results in sudden death

adjective

Full of danger or risk.

Usage examples:

A perilous journey south

adjective

Not decorated or elaborate; simple or basic in character.

Usage examples:

Good plain food

adverb

Used for emphasis.

Usage examples:

Perhaps the youth was just plain stupid

noun

A large area of flat land with few trees.

Usage examples:

The coastal plain

adjective

Relating to the north or south pole.

Usage examples:

The polar regions

noun

The straight line joining the two points at which tangents from a fixed point touch a conic section.

Usage examples:

Sturm's theoretical work in mathematical physics involved the study of caustic curves, and poles an…

adjective

Of or near the area around the most northern or most southern points of the earth

Usage examples:

The polar ice cap, a polar expedition, fig. the play’s main characters are polar opposites (= they …

adjective

Having or displaying a very strict or censorious moral attitude towards self-indulgence or sex.

Usage examples:

His puritanical parents saw any kind of pleasure as the road to damnation

adjective

Characterized by reserve or moderation; unemotional or dispassionate.

Usage examples:

His restrained, gentlemanly voice

verb

Prevent (someone or something) from doing something; keep under control or within limits.

Usage examples:

The need to restrain public expenditure

adjective

(of an animal or force of nature) fierce, violent, and uncontrolled.

Usage examples:

Packs of savage dogs roamed the streets

noun

A brutal or vicious person.

Usage examples:

The mother of one of the victims has described his assailants as savages

verb

(especially of a dog or wild animal) attack ferociously and maul.

Usage examples:

Police are rounding up dogs after a girl was savaged

adjective

Witheringly scornful; severely critical.

Usage examples:

She launched a scathing attack on the prime minister

verb

Harm; injure.

Usage examples:

He was barely scathed

adjective

Severely critical and unkind

Usage examples:

He delivered a scathing attack on the president.

adjective

Very hot.

Usage examples:

The scorching july sun

verb

Burn the surface of (something) with flame or heat.

Usage examples:

Surrounding houses were scorched by heat from the blast

adjective

(of the weather) very hot

Usage examples:

I don’t want to be outside in this scorching heat., it was scorching hot at the beach.

adjective

Extremely hot or intense.

Usage examples:

The searing heat of the sun

verb

Burn or scorch the surface of (something) with a sudden, intense heat.

Usage examples:

The water got so hot that it seared our lips

adjective

Very hot

Usage examples:

Searing temperatures, gary felt searing pain in his leg.

adjective

Demanding or characterized by careful consideration or application.

Usage examples:

Marriage is a serious matter

adjective

Not joking; not intended to amuse

Usage examples:

You can never tell when he’s serious., that’s an interesting job offer – i’d give it serious consid…

adjective

(of an object) having an edge or point that is able to cut or pierce something.

Usage examples:

Cut the cake with a very sharp knife

adverb

Precisely (used after an expression of time).

Usage examples:

The meeting starts at 7.30 sharp

noun

A musical note raised a semitone above natural pitch.

Usage examples:

Choices in successive levels expand to all notes, then sharps and flats.

adjective

Relating to siberia or its people.

Usage examples:

The siberian plains near the arctic circle

noun

A native or inhabitant of siberia.

Usage examples:

A soviet-era war memorial to siberians

adjective

Easily understood or done; presenting no difficulty.

Usage examples:

A simple solution

noun

A medicinal herb, or a medicine made from one.

Usage examples:

The gatherers of simples

exclamation

Of very low intelligence.

adjective

(of a part of one's body) painful or aching.

Usage examples:

She had a sore throat

noun

A raw or painful place on the body.

Usage examples:

All of us had sores and infections on our hands

adverb

Extremely; severely.

Usage examples:

They were sore afraid

adjective

Additional to what is required for ordinary use.

Usage examples:

Few people had spare cash for inessentials

noun

An item kept in case another item of the same type is lost, broken, or worn out.

Usage examples:

The wheel's broken and it would be suicide to go on without a spare

verb

Give (something of which one has enough) to (someone).

Usage examples:

She asked if i could spare her a bob or two

adjective

Showing or characterized by austerity or a lack of comfort or luxury.

Usage examples:

The accommodation was fairly spartan

noun

A citizen of sparta.

Usage examples:

The spartans were the dorian inhabitants of a greek city-state in the peloponnese that for many cen…

noun

A canadian dessert apple of a variety with crisp white flesh and maroon-flushed yellow skin.

adjective

Severe or bare in appearance or outline.

Usage examples:

The ridge formed a stark silhouette against the sky

adjective

Empty or without decoration

Usage examples:

Stark white walls, the dim halls made a stark contrast with the bright, sun-drenched apartment.

adjective

Having a sting; capable of wounding or piercing with a sting.

Usage examples:

A swarm of stinging insects

verb

Wound or pierce with a sting.

Usage examples:

He was stung by a jellyfish

adjective

(of regulations, requirements, or conditions) strict, precise, and exacting.

Usage examples:

Stringent guidelines on air pollution

adjective

Extremely limiting or difficult; severe

Usage examples:

Members of the organization have to be willing to abide by the stringent rules., the city has strin…

adjective

Stringent laws, tests, etc. are extremely severe or limiting and must be obeyed

Usage examples:

Stringent security measures have been introduced at all airports., regulators are forcing issuers t…

adjective

Having the power to move heavy weights or perform other physically demanding tasks.

Usage examples:

She cut through the water with her strong arms

adjective

Physically powerful or energetic

Usage examples:

You must be strong to be able to lift all that weight., i feel a little stronger every day., strong…

adjective

An activity or industry that is strong is growing and becoming more successful

Usage examples:

Economic news has been better than expected, with retail sales remaining strong., worldwide sales b…

adjective

Extremely bad or serious.

Usage examples:

A terrible crime

adjective

Not adorned; plain.

Usage examples:

It was very simple, its walls unadorned

adjective

Plain and simple, with little or no decoration

Usage examples:

Her unadorned beauty

adjective

Not adorned or decorated.

Usage examples:

The walls were completely undecorated

adjective

An undecorated object or place has nothing added to make it more attractive

Usage examples:

She likes plain walls and altogether undecorated surfaces., undecorated pavlova can safely be left …

adjective

Not embellished or decorated.

Usage examples:

The unembellished truth

adjective

Not fussy.

Usage examples:

A simple unfussy design

adjective

Not having any decoration.

Usage examples:

An unornamented two-storey building

adjective

Not decorated with any ornament (= a decoration that is added to something to make it more beautiful)

Usage examples:

She wore a stately, unornamented red gown with a loose gold sash., the company's office was located…

adjective

Causing anxiety about actual or potential problems; alarming.

Usage examples:

A worrying health risk

verb

Feel or cause to feel anxious or troubled about actual or potential problems.

Usage examples:

He worried about his soldier sons in the war

adjective

Making you feel unhappy and frightened

Usage examples:

It's a very worrying situation.