severity

Language: en

🇬🇧 /səˈvɛrɪti/ 🇺🇸 /sɪˈvɛrɪtiː/

📖 Definitions

  1. noun
    The quality or state of being severe; the degree to which something is intense, extreme, or serious.; Strictness or harshness in manner, discipline, or treatment of others.; Austerity or plainness in style, appearance, or design; lack of ornamentation.; The degree of seriousness or intensity of a disease, symptom, or medical condition.; Rigor or exactness in reasoning, argument, or logical analysis.; Harshness or inclemency of weather or climate.

🔗 Details

Word forms

uncountable

Collocations

severity of the situationvarying degrees of severitywith severityin severitythe severity of the punishment

Derivatives

severeseverelysevereness

Synonyms

harshnessstrictnessseriousnessgravityintensitysternness

Antonyms

mildnessleniencygentlenessclemency

Commonly confused

seriousness
EN: 'seriousness' refers to the quality of being earnest or important; 'severity' emphasizes harshness, strictness, or extreme intensity.
severeness
EN: 'severeness' is a rare and non-standard variant; 'severity' is the accepted noun form of 'severe'.

Spelling tips

EN: Note the vowel change from 'severe' to 'severity' (e → i before -ity). Do not write 'severety' or 'severaty'.

💬 Examples

  1. The severity of the storm caused widespread damage across the region.

  2. The severity of the teacher's discipline made the students afraid to speak.

  3. The severity of the building's architecture gave it a stark, imposing presence.

  4. The doctor assessed the severity of the patient's infection before prescribing treatment.

  5. The severity of his mathematical proof left no room for doubt.

  6. The severity of the winter made it nearly impossible to travel by road.