severeness : Dictionary / Wörterbuch (BEOLINGUS, TU Chemnitz)

English Dictionary: severeness	by the DICT Development Group
2 results for severeness
From WordNet (r) 3.0 (2006) [wn]:
severeness n used of the degree of something undesirable e.g. pain or weather Synonym(s): badness, severity, severeness something hard to endure; "the asperity of northern winters" Synonym(s): asperity, grimness, hardship, rigor, rigour, severity, severeness, rigorousness, rigourousness extreme plainness Synonym(s): austereness, severity, severeness excessive sternness; "severity of character"; "the harshness of his punishment was inhuman"; "the rigors of boot camp" Synonym(s): severity, severeness, harshness, rigor, rigour, rigorousness, rigourousness, inclemency, hardness, stiffness
From Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913) [web1913]:
Severe \Severe"\, a. [Compar. {Severer}; superl. {Severest}.] [L. severus; perhaps akin to Gr. [?][?][?] awe, [?][?][?] revered, holy, solemn, Goth. swikns innocent, chaste: cf. F. s[82]v[8a]re. Cf. {Asseverate}, {Persevere}.] 1. Serious in feeeling or manner; sedate; grave; austere; not light, lively, or cheerful. Your looks alter, as your subject does, From kind to fierce, from wanton to severe. --Waller. 2. Very strict in judgment, discipline, or government; harsh; not mild or indulgent; rigorous; as, severe criticism; severe punishment. [bd]Custody severe.[b8] --Milton. Come! you are too severe a moraler. --Shak. Let your zeal, if it must be expressed in anger, be always more severe against thyself than against others. --Jer. Taylor. 3. Rigidly methodical, or adherent to rule or principle; exactly conformed to a standard; not allowing or employing unneccessary ornament, amplification, etc.; strict; -- said of style, argument, etc. [bd]Restrained by reason and severe principles.[b8] --Jer. Taylor. The Latin, a most severe and compendious language. --Dryden. 4. Sharp; afflictive; distressing; violent; extreme; as, severe pain, anguish, fortune; severe cold. 5. Difficult to be endured; exact; critical; rigorous; as, a severe test. Syn: Strict; grave; austere; stern; morose; rigid; exact; rigorous; hard; rough; harsh; censorious; tart; acrimonious; sarcastic; satirical; cutting; biting; keen; bitter; cruel. See {Strict}. -- {Severe"ly}, adv. -- {Se*vere"ness}, n.