Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

severe

/sɪˈvɪɹ/

Word Rarity Uncommon

Frequency: Zipf frequency 4.56 in modern English

Syllables: se-vere
IPA: /sɪˈvɪɹ/

9

Scrabble Score

6

Letters

2

Syllables

4

Unique Chars

Meaning

adj

Very bad or intense.

adj

Strict or harsh.

adj

Sober, plain in appearance, austere.

name

Example Sentences

"In the severer cases of hookworm the patient sometimes has an appetite for soil, paper, hair, clay, chalk, starch, and other unpalatables."
"Parkinsonism, at its severest, presents itself as an akinetic amimia (as opposed to certain cortical disorders which are amimic akinesias)."
"Phoenix and Lubbock are both caught in severe drought, and it is going to get much worse. We may see many such [dust] storms in the decades ahead, along with species extinctions, radical disturbance of ecosystems, and intensified social conflict over land and water. Welcome to the Anthropocene, the epoch when humans have become a major geological and climatic force."
"a severe taskmaster"
"a severe old maiden aunt"
"severe clothing"

Etymology

From Middle French, from Latin severus (“severe, serious, grave in demeanor”).

Origin

Source language: Latin

Word Breakdown

Root: *seǵʰ-, severus

Regional Pronunciation

American English: /sɪˈvɪɹ/
British English: /sɪˈvɪə/

Inflected Forms

severer (comparative) more severe (comparative) severest (superlative) most severe (superlative) Severes (plural)

Derived Forms

nonsevere oversevere semisevere severely severeness severity supersevere ultrasevere unsevere

Phrases

severe acute respiratory syndrome severe clear severe combined immunodeficiency severe fever with thrombocytopenia syndrome severe gale severe myoclonic epilepsy of infancy severe tea

Synonyms

extreme intense acute brutal hard heartless heavy rigorous serious callous cold insensate

Antonyms

mild minor lenient

Rhymes With

year near clear career fear appear dear beer premier engineer gear rear

Questions

How do you pronounce severe?: The recorded pronunciation is /sɪˈvɪɹ/.
What does severe mean?: Very bad or intense.
Where does severe come from?: It is traced to Latin.

How to pronounce severe

Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “severe”.
Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling (/sɪˈvɪɹ/) so you know which sounds to aim for.
Play the audio — Click Play to hear reference audio for “severe”.
Repeat and practice — Say “severe” aloud, matching stress and vowels until it feels natural.