How to use austere in a sentence

20 example sentences · adjective

Austere means grim or severe in manner or appearance. Example: “The headmistress was an austere old woman.”

Examples of austere by meaning

adjectiveGrim or severe in manner or appearance.

The headmistress was an austere old woman.

adjectiveLacking decoration; trivial; not extravagant or gaudy.

The interior of the church was as austere as the parishioners were dour.
It is an austere, rather barn-like structure, with a high roof over the two platforms.1958 October, Rev. A. W. V. Mace, “From Faversham to Dover—1”, in Railway Magazine, page 670

adjectiveAdhering to the economic policy of austerity.

Counterintuitively, in an effort to be austere and save money, cities which only remove a crossing every couple of years manage to be way less efficient at it than Melbourne has been.2024 December 14, Reece Martin, “Learning from Melbourne’s Level Crossing Removal Project” (9:05 from the start), in RMTransit

More sentences with austere

Traditionally the Foo dogs were somewhat austere, unpainted stone sculptures meant to frighten away evil spirits.2014, Shelia Hollihan-Elliot, Art and Architecture of China, Simon and Schuster, →ISBN. From the entry foo dog
Their adaptation to austere monastic life includes an unexpected wrinkle — their introduction to World Cup Soccer!2003, David Bleiler, TLA Film, Video, and DVD Guide 2002-2003: The Discerning Film Lover's Guide, St. Martin's Press, →ISBN. From the entry soccermania
Austere, foreboding, it rises on a stonebound table over a tributary of the Loire.1983, Darwin Porter, George McDonald, Frommer’s Dollarwise Guide to France, New York, N.Y.: Simon & Schuster, →ISBN, page 194. From the entry stonebound
The medium was leaning with her elbow on the mantel piece, austere and aloof.1925 July – 1926 May, A[rthur] Conan Doyle, “(please specify the chapter number)”, in The Land of Mist (eBook no. 0601351h.html)…. From the entry mantelpiece
It is too proud, too austere, too true, and too tonically cruel to appeal to mandarins.1917, Arnold Bennett, Books and Persons. From the entry tonically
Beyond the slag was a colliery with its machinery and smoking chimney, making the whole area look grim and austere.2011, Vivienne Dockerty, A Woman Undefeated, page 54. From the entry slag
It was straight-cut, almost of a widowish severity, but on a young lady it appeared sophisticated rather than austere.2010, Joan Smith, Lady Hathaway's House Party. From the entry widowish
That's because, as amazing as it sometimes seems to austere grammarians, epicene "they" is not universally regarded as wrong.2001 August 27, Brian Tung <brian@isi.edu>, “Re: OK, Why No Half Moon Phase?”, in sci.astro.amateur (Usenet), via Google Groups, archived…. From the entry epicene they
Traditional Roman society had been austere and religious in character.1993, Let’s Go, Inc., “Ancient Rome”, in Kayla Alpert, David Thorpe, editors, Let’s Go: The Budget Guide to Rome 1993, New York, N.Y.: St.…. From the entry aflood
An austere, hard-lining rightist, who lives alone, Ioannidis is described by one Washington military official as "a real tough cookie."1973 December 10, “Ioannidis: Power in the Wings”, in Time. From the entry tough cookie
Yoritomo met their smiles and kowtowings and noisy insuckings of breath with an austere dignity that I took pains to imitate.1910, Robert Ames Bennet, The Shogun's Daughter. From the entry kowtowing
Aglianico, the variety emblematic of the region, yields austere, full-bodied reds with intense aromas of blackberries, cherries and raspberries: these wines are eminently cellarable.2013, Wine Trails of Italy: Itineraries through the Vineyards (Michelin Green Guides), Boulogne-Billancourt: Michelin Travel Partner…. From the entry cellarable
The twenty-two kyōgen in this volume give a broad sampling of the delightful comic interludes which were traditionally performed between the more austere nō plays.1973, Leonard C[abell] Pronko, “Nō and Kyōgen: Texts”, in Guide to Japanese Drama, G. K. Hall & Co., →ISBN, page 65. From the entry nō
Staid Boston society brought up on the austere tempestuosities of Koussevitzky, were aghast at their visitor's Dionysian frenzies of whirling, jumping and crouching.1940, The Musical Record, volume 1/2, page 23, column 1. From the entry tempestuosity
Footpadded and austere, a temperance leader, he slumps in torpid reverie over a sea of blistering dunes, yet easily is tamed, the Britannica says, because he's stupid.2015, Jonathan F. S. Post, A Thickness of Particulars: The Poetry of Anthony Hecht, →ISBN. From the entry footpadded
Pomerius insisted that the wealth of the church could be administered—indeed, even increased—by persons inspired by the austere distinction between wealth and its mere "managers" delineated by the old Augustine.2012, Peter Brown, Through the Eye of a Needle: Wealth, the Fall of Rome, and the Making of Christianity in the West, 350-550 AD. From the entry wealthlessness

Meaning of austere

adjective Grim or severe in manner or appearance.
adjective Lacking decoration; trivial; not extravagant or gaudy.
adjective Adhering to the economic policy of austerity.

Full definition of austere

Questions about austere in a sentence

How do you use austere in a sentence?: Austere is used as an adjective. For example: “The headmistress was an austere old woman.”
What is a short sentence with austere?: “The headmistress was an austere old woman.”
What does austere mean?: Austere means grim or severe in manner or appearance.

Adapted from Wiktionary: austere (page history and authors) and the entries each sentence comes from. Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws chose the sentences, left out offensive ones and quotations older than 1900, and marked the word in each. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.

Last updated: 2026-09-02

Cite this page: “How to use austere in a sentence.” Word.ws, https://word.ws/sentences/austere. Based on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.