as in hardness
the quality or state of being demanding or unyielding (as in discipline or criticism)
even though no one expected the film to be a hit with the critics, the director was taken aback by the severity of the criticism
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of severity
Based on the severity of the case, this no longer is just a case of the NBA or Hornets glossing over something minor.
—
Ira Winderman, Sun Sentinel, 28 Apr. 2026
Depending on the severity of the injury, Simons could miss a significant portion of next season too.
—Dan Kilpatrick, New York Times, 27 Apr. 2026
An enhanced risk is a level three out of five for weather severity.
—Remington Miller, Arkansas Online, 27 Apr. 2026
The club did not give details on the severity of the injury or when Mbappé is expected to return.
—ABC News, 27 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for severity
Ira Winderman, Sun Sentinel, 28 Apr. 2026
Depending on the severity of the injury, Simons could miss a significant portion of next season too.
—Dan Kilpatrick, New York Times, 27 Apr. 2026
An enhanced risk is a level three out of five for weather severity.
—Remington Miller, Arkansas Online, 27 Apr. 2026
The club did not give details on the severity of the injury or when Mbappé is expected to return.
—ABC News, 27 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for severity
Recent Examples of Synonyms for severity
Noun
-
All the surface performance tests – ball bounce, rotational resistance and surface hardness – on these eight carpets also met FIFA standards.—
Ryan Bearss,
The Conversation,
20 Apr. 2026
-
Another method is to perform a soil hardness test.—
Nora Doonan,
Hartford Courant,
4 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
The ubiquity and strictness of regulation has real business impacts.—
Francesca Cassidy,
Fortune,
31 Mar. 2026
-
And there’s little strictness about ideological consistency.—
Charles Duhigg,
New Yorker,
26 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
Saura had a large sense of the humor, which struck those who got to know him, belying the sternness of his public visage with his playful banter and frequent chuckle.—
John Hopewell,
Variety,
6 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
Some rigidity remains, and when the stimulation is turned off, the tremor returns within seconds.—
Ted Scouten,
CBS News,
20 Apr. 2026
-
So the researchers first stripped the wood of lignin, the component that gives it color and rigidity.—
Rupendra Brahambhatt,
Interesting Engineering,
12 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Concrete and glass meet at sharp angles, while a curved courtyard wall softens the harshness.—
New Atlas,
New Atlas,
13 Apr. 2026
-
Sunlight naturally sanitizes, and air drying prevents the harshness of high heat.—
Ashlyn Needham,
Southern Living,
14 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
These rules were enforced with various levels of stringency throughout the week, but several journalists complained of having to argue with security staff in order to bring in innocuous items such as laptops and cosmetics.—
Beatrice Nolan,
Fortune,
23 Feb. 2026
-
The administration says that this risk model is too cautious, leading to costly conservatism in reactor design, staffing redundancies and stringency in licensing.—
Katy Huff,
Scientific American,
23 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
The frustration is in the inflexibility.—
Andreas Wiseman,
Deadline,
20 Feb. 2026
-
The Red Sox could also try to move on from Masataka Yoshida, though his contract, injury history and positional inflexibility will hamper his trade value.—
Mac Cerullo,
Boston Herald,
16 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
Frankie wanted to rid himself of rigidness.—
Danielle Paquette The Washington Post,
Arkansas Online,
12 Apr. 2026
-
Aristidou utilizes Danae, whose controlling dad suffocates her with his seemingly overbearing rigidness, as a counterpoint to the other extreme of fatherhood.—
Carlos Aguilar,
Variety,
31 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Severity.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/severity. Accessed 1 May. 2026.
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