austere

adjective

aus·​tere ȯ-ˈstir 

 also  -ˈster

1

a

: stern and cold in appearance or manner

an austere Puritan

b

: somber, grave

an austere critic

2

: morally strict : ascetic

3

: markedly simple or unadorned

an austere office

an austere style of writing

4

: giving little or no scope for pleasure

austere diets

5

of a wine : having the flavor of acid or tannin predominant over fruit flavors usually indicating a capacity for aging

austerely adverb

austereness noun

Synonyms

• authoritarian
• flinty
• hard
• harsh
• heavy-handed
• ramrod
• rigid
• rigorous
• severe
• stern
• strict
• tough

Choose the Right Synonym for austere

severe, stern, austere, ascetic mean given to or marked by strict discipline and firm restraint.

severe implies standards enforced without indulgence or laxity and may suggest harshness.

severe military discipline

stern stresses inflexibility and inexorability of temper or character.

stern arbiters of public morality

austere stresses absence of warmth, color, or feeling and may apply to rigorous restraint, simplicity, or self-denial.

living an austere life in the country

ascetic implies abstention from pleasure and comfort or self-indulgence as spiritual discipline.

the ascetic life of the monks

Examples of austere in a Sentence

This is a national conceit that is the comprehensible result of the religious beliefs of the early New England colonists (Calvinist religious dissenters, moved by millenarian expectations and theocratic ideas), which convinced them that their austere settlements in the wilderness represented a new start in humanity's story. —William Pfaff, New York Review, 15 Feb. 2007

For many of us with no firsthand familiarity with Greece, it's easy to forget that its celebrated ruins are a distortion and that we behold its ancient culture in its bare-bones lineaments. The austere white buildings of the Acropolis were once painted and parti-colored structures. —Brad Leithauser, New York Times Book Review, 26 Mar. 2006

I cut off my long dark hair, put on the habit (and it was quite becoming, in an austere sort of way), wrapped a big rosary around my waist, threw the cloak over my shoulders and set out. —Albert E. Cowdrey, Fantasy & Science Fiction, March 2005

Certain kinds of landscapes—volatile ocean environments, sculpturally seductive alpine peaks, austere polar regions—became infused with what philosopher Edmund Burke called "a sort of delightful horror." —James Balog, American Photo, May/June 2004

They choose austere furnishings for the office.

He was known for his austere style of writing.

They lived an austere life in the country.

Recent Examples on the Web

Here’s last week’s handouts, the instructor said, read them at your leisure at home, and gave Eliza a toothy smile that turned the austere face suddenly soft and dimpled. —Lauren Groff, The New Yorker, 8 Dec. 2024

Texture While tile might have once been thought of as a cool, austere surface choice, that’s anything but true today. —Patricia Shannon, Better Homes & Gardens, 8 Dec. 2024

Designed by modernist architect Marcel Breuer, the 1960s building is known for its austere, top-heavy form, punctuated by a handful of trapezoidal windows. —Oscar Holland, CNN, 5 Dec. 2024

Examined literally, Conclave is among the most Catholic movies ever made, a church procedural that takes as its daily bread the institution’s ancient and austere rituals. —Graham Hillard, Washington Examiner - Political News and Conservative Analysis About Congress, the President, and the Federal Government, 29 Nov. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Middle English, from Anglo-French, from Latin austerus, from Greek austēros harsh, severe; akin to Greek hauos dry — more at sere

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Kids Definition

austere

adjective

aus·​tere ȯ-ˈsti(ə)r 

1

: stern and unfriendly in appearance and manner

2

: living a harsh life with few pleasures : ascetic

3

: simple sense 4a, unadorned

an austere room

austerely adverb