Synonyms of stern
77 similar words · 16 opposite words
Another word for stern is poop. Other synonyms of stern are grim, severe, bleak, sombre and cheerless. The opposite of stern is fore.
Synonyms and similar words for stern
adjectiveHaving a hardness and severity of nature or manner.
adjectiveGrim and forbidding in appearance.
- bleak
- sombreGrave; extremely serious.
- cheerlessDevoid of cheer; gloomy.
- comfortless
- dark
- moroseSullen, gloomy; showing a brooding ill humour.
- depressing
- desolate
- dire
- disconsolate
- dismal
- dolefulFilled with grief, mournful, bringing feelings of sadness.
- dolesomeCharacterised or marked by sorrow and grief; doleful; dismal; gloomy.
- drearDreary.
- drearisomeCharacterised or marked by dreariness.
- dreary
- dreich UK, dialectal
- forlorn
- gayless
- gray
- gloomsomeCharacterised or marked by gloom.
- gloomy
- joylessWithout joy; unhappy, sad.
- lack-laughterCheerless; sombre; serious.
- lugubriousGloomy, mournful or dismal, especially to an exaggerated degree.
- melancholy
- mirthlessLacking mirth; devoid of joy; sad.
- miserable
- no joke
- saturnine
- somber
- spiritlessLacking energy, drive, motivation or emotion. Enervated.
- sullen
- sunless
- uncheerfulNot cheerful.
- uncheeryNot cheery; gloomy, pessimistic.
- unhappy
- unmerryNot merry, the opposite of merry; sad, gloomy.
- wintry
- woeful
- solemn obsoleteDeeply serious and sombre; grave.
nounThe rear part (after end) of a ship or other vessel.
adjectiveMore synonyms
- brutalHarsh; unrelenting.
- 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.
- hardSevere, harsh, unfriendly, brutal.
- hard-boiledOf a person, especially a detective, callous and unsentimental.
- hardenedUnfeeling; pitiless; callous.
- hardheartedLacking in compassion; cold and pitiless.
- heartlessWithout feeling, emotion, or concern for others; uncaring; cruel.
- 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.
- rigorous
- rockheartedSynonym of hardhearted.
- 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.
Opposite of stern
nounThe rear part (after end) of a ship or other vessel.
Meaning of stern
- adjective Having a hardness and severity of nature or manner.
- adjective Grim and forbidding in appearance.
- noun The rear part (after end) of a ship or other vessel.
stern in other languages
Questions about synonyms of stern
- What is another word for stern?
- Stern has 77 synonyms on Word.ws, such as poop, grim, severe, bleak, sombre, cheerless, comfortless and dark.
- What is the opposite of stern?
- The opposite of stern is fore. Other antonyms of stern are prow, bow, stem and forestem.
- What does stern mean?
- Stern means having a hardness and severity of nature or manner.
Source and license
Adapted from Wiktionary: stern (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 stern.” Word.ws, https://word.ws/synonyms/stern. Based on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.