Word.ws English Dictionary

Synonyms of severe

56 similar words · 3 opposite words

Another word for severe is intense. Other synonyms of severe are extreme, cold-eyed, stern, grim and harsh. The opposite of severe is lenient.

Synonyms and similar words for severe

adjectiveVery bad or intense.

  • extremeDrastic, or of great severity.
  • intenseOf a characteristic: extreme or very high or strong in degree; severe; also, excessive, towering.
  • acute

adjectiveStrict or harsh.

  • brutalHarsh; unrelenting.
  • hardSevere, harsh, unfriendly, brutal.
  • heartlessWithout feeling, emotion, or concern for others; uncaring; cruel.
  • heavy
  • rigorousSevere; intense.
  • serious
  • callousEmotionally hardened; unfeeling and indifferent to the suffering/feelings of others.
  • coldWithout compassion; heartless; ruthless.
  • insensate formalUnfeeling, heartless, cruel, insensitive.
  • hardhanded
  • cold-eyedThat looks coldly or dispassionately; having a fierce or aloof mein.
  • cruelHarsh; severe.
  • dourStern, harsh and forbidding.
  • thick-skinned
  • flint-heartedSynonym of hardhearted.
  • forbiddingAppearing to be threatening, unfriendly or potentially unpleasant.
  • frostyHaving an aloof or inhospitable manner.
  • grimDismal and gloomy, cold and forbidding.
  • hard-boiledOf a person, especially a detective, callous and unsentimental.
  • hardenedUnfeeling; pitiless; callous.
  • hardheartedLacking in compassion; cold and pitiless.
  • harshSevere or cruel.
  • humorlessLacking humor or levity; serious; not funny, amusing, amused, or lighthearted.
  • icyCharacterized by coldness of manner; frigid; cold.
  • iron-heartedSynonym of hardhearted.
  • insensitiveNot expressing normal emotional feelings; cold; tactless; undiplomatic.
  • marble-heartedEmotionally cold, cruel, and unfeeling.
  • rockheartedSynonym of hardhearted.
  • sternHaving a hardness and severity of nature or manner.
  • stoneheartedSynonym of hardhearted.
  • stonyOf a person, lacking warmth and emotion.
  • stonyheartedCruel, compassionless, discompassionate, as if having a heart made of stone.
  • strictSevere in discipline.
  • toughStrict, not lenient.
  • unsympatheticNot sympathetic; ill-disposed.
  • unmovedNot sympathetic; uncaring.

adjectiveSober, plain in appearance, austere.

  • modestIntending to avoid the encouraging of sexual attraction in others.
  • simpleWithout ornamentation; plain.
  • austereGrim or severe in manner or appearance.
  • bareHaving no decoration.
  • chasteSynonym of austere, plain, unextravagant, particularly demure, sexually discreet.
  • inornateNot ornate.
  • plainOrdinary; lacking adornment or ornamentation; unembellished.
  • quietNot showy; undemonstrative.
  • spartanLacking in decoration and luxury.
  • unadornedHaving no additional decoration or embellishment; plain and simple.
  • unembellishedPlain, unadorned, or simple.
  • unextravagantNot extravagant.
  • unornamentedNot ornamented; without ornament.
  • undeckedUnadorned.
  • ungarnishedNot garnished.
  • untrimmedNot adorned with trimmings.
  • unvarnishedNatural, unmodified, unembellished, not exaggerated.

Opposite of severe

adjectiveVery bad or intense.

adjectiveStrict or harsh.

  • lenientLax; not strict; tolerant of dissent or deviation.

Meaning of severe

  1. adjective Very bad or intense.
  2. adjective Strict or harsh.
  3. adjective Sober, plain in appearance, austere.

Full definition of severe

severe in other languages

Questions about synonyms of severe

What is another word for severe?
Severe has 56 synonyms on Word.ws, such as intense, extreme, cold-eyed, stern, grim, harsh, cruel and marble-hearted.
What is the opposite of severe?
The opposite of severe is lenient. Other antonyms of severe are minor.
What does severe mean?
Severe means very bad or intense.

Source and license

Adapted from Wiktionary: severe (page history and authors) and the entries of the words listed. Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws grouped the synonyms and antonyms by meaning and added links. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.

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Cite this page: “Synonyms of severe.” Word.ws, https://word.ws/synonyms/severe. Based on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.