Word.ws English Dictionary

severity

UK/sɪˈvɛɹ.ɪ.ti//səˈvɛɹ.ə.ti/

severity noun: the state of being severe.

Noun

severity (countable and uncountable, plural severities)

  1. The state of being severe.
    • […] the fear of God whereof ' tis written Keeper : But not the fear of punishment for sin
      And I can see that the uncertainty In which we act is a severity ,
      A cruelty , amounting to injustice
      That nothing but God's mercy can assuage . […]1948, Harold Vinal, Voices, numbers 132-136, →OCLC, page 51
  2. The degree of something undesirable; badness or seriousness.
    • The severity of the offence merits a long prison sentence.

severity meaning in Hindi, Tamil, Urdu and Bengali

severity in Hindi

severity, sternness, rigour; intensity, harshness
शिद्दत śiddat
severity
कड़ाई kaṛāī

severity in Tamil

severity, harshness, cruelty, hard-heartedness
கடுமை kaṭumai
severity, harshness
கொடுமை koṭumai, நெருக்கம் nerukkam
severity, cruelness, harshness
கடினம் kaṭiṉam
severity, cruelty
கருமை karumai

severity in Urdu

severity, sternness, rigour; intensity, harshness
شدت śiddat
severity, hardship, rigour
تشدد taśaddud

severity in Bengali

কঠোরতা, তীব্রতা
More languagesFewer languages
severity in Malayalam
കഠൊരം kaṭhoraṁ
severity in Kannada
ಬಿರುಸು, ಕಡುಹು, ಕಡುಪು, ಕಡುರ್ಪು
severity in Arabic
صَرَامَة ṣarāma
severity in Persian
شدت šeddat

Examples of severity in a sentence

  • The institution of higher speed limits was a popular move but increased the severity of crashes.
  • All of these factors increase the probability of stranding and the severity of the consequences.
  • There is also absolutely no doubt of the severity of the consequences of long Covid.

All 38 example sentences with severity

Synonyms of severity

Forms of severity

pluralseverities

Plural of severity: severities

Origin of severity

From Middle English severity, from Middle French severite (modern French sévérité), from Latin sevēritās. By surface analysis, severe + -ity.

Words formed from severity

Words that rhyme with severity

Questions about severity

What does severity mean?
Severity means the state of being severe.
What is severity in Hindi?
Severity in Hindi is शिद्दत (śiddat), कड़ाई (kaṛāī). See Severity meaning in Hindi.
What part of speech is severity?
Severity is a noun.
How do you pronounce severity?
Severity is pronounced /sɪˈvɛɹ.ɪ.ti/ (UK).
What is the plural of severity?
The plural of severity is severities.

Words near severity in the dictionary

  1. severings
  2. Severino
  3. Severinos
  4. severities
  5. Severitus
  6. severity
  7. Severn
  8. Severn Beach
  9. Severn Stoke
  10. Severn Tunnel Junction
  11. Severn-Cotswold tomb

Source and license

Adapted from Wiktionary: severity (page history and authors); कड़ाई (Hindi) (page history and authors); கடினம் (Tamil) (page history and authors); تشدد (Urdu) (page history and authors); severity (Bengali Wiktionary) (page history and authors); കഠൊരം (Malayalam) (page history and authors); severity (Kannada Wiktionary) (page history and authors). Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws reformatted the entry and added links. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.

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Pronunciation audio from Wikimedia Commons, each file under its own free license: en-us-severity.ogg.

Cite this entry: “severity.” Word.ws, https://word.ws/severity. Based on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.