1
as in sacrifice
voluntary restraint in the satisfaction of one's appetites
They moved off the grid to live a life of austerity.
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in gruffness
the quality or state of being stern and serious in manner or appearance
His air of austerity tends to put others off.
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in misery
the state of lacking sufficient money or material possessions
His family spent years living in austerity during the recession.
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of austerity
Shutdown costs are likely to add millions more at an inopportune time given the austerity drive and cutbacks rippling through the traditional media sector.
—
Dade Hayes, Deadline, 20 Jan. 2025
Mayor Todd Gloria welcomed the era of austerity in his State of the City speech Wednesday, promising to tame a $258 million budget deficit this year.
—Andrew Keatts, Axios, 16 Jan. 2025
As most European governments were forced to submit austerity budgets for 2025, the eurozone is unlikely to gain any more fiscal space that would allow increases in public spending or lower taxes that could boost aggregate demand.
—Erik Jones, Foreign Affairs, 13 Jan. 2025
The program was canceled by former President Andrés Manuel López Obrador as part of his broad austerity measures.
—Whitney Eulich, The Christian Science Monitor, 27 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for austerity
Dade Hayes, Deadline, 20 Jan. 2025
Mayor Todd Gloria welcomed the era of austerity in his State of the City speech Wednesday, promising to tame a $258 million budget deficit this year.
—Andrew Keatts, Axios, 16 Jan. 2025
As most European governments were forced to submit austerity budgets for 2025, the eurozone is unlikely to gain any more fiscal space that would allow increases in public spending or lower taxes that could boost aggregate demand.
—Erik Jones, Foreign Affairs, 13 Jan. 2025
The program was canceled by former President Andrés Manuel López Obrador as part of his broad austerity measures.
—Whitney Eulich, The Christian Science Monitor, 27 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for austerity
Recent Examples of Synonyms for austerity
Noun
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Everyone will be tested and, as the stakes rise, the betrayals, sacrifices and conflicting agendas will become profound.—
Gordon G. Chang,
Newsweek,
3 Mar. 2025
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While most old soldiers, like Karl Malden's superb, empathetic Gen. Omar Bradley, absorb the senseless loss of life of war with regret and resolve that the sacrifice was necessary, Scott's Patton reveals the darker side of humanity that craves conflict, that lives for it.—
EW.com,
EW.com,
2 Mar. 2025
Noun
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One of the few remaining positives in his life is upended before the pilot comes to a close, pushing poor Ted that much further into misery.—
Ben Travers,
IndieWire,
23 Feb. 2025
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Human misery and environmental devastation proved the cost of turning coffee from a luxury good into a staple.—
Peter S. Goodman,
New York Times,
22 Feb. 2025
Noun
-
Mendez is a strategic community builder, storyteller, and connector with 5 years of experience spanning marketing, editorial, and corporate disciplines.—
Ayisha Miracle Mendez,
Forbes,
24 Feb. 2025
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Her 37 wins in other disciplines would tie with Austrian great Marlies Schild not much further down the list.—
Zack Pierce,
The Athletic,
24 Feb. 2025
Noun
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The bout of asceticism didn’t deter her from finishing a quarter of the album, however.—
Arimeta Diop,
Vulture,
24 Jan. 2025
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Louise tells tales of drunkenness, asceticism, death.—
Hervé Guibert,
Harper's Magazine,
2 Nov. 2024
Noun
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Scientists from the Department of Psychology at the University of York, United Kingdom, aimed to uncover how sleep deprivation leads to intrusive thoughts.—
Jenny Lehmann,
Discover Magazine,
21 Feb. 2025
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Over the years, experts have found that differences in brain structure or function, genetic variations and mutations, and medical complications (e.g. extreme prematurity, oxygen deprivation at birth, and certain maternal health issues) all seem to play a role.—
Cassie Shortsleeve,
SELF,
19 Feb. 2025
Noun
-
That's reality for a country that, across Democratic and Republican administrations, has spent taxpayer money without restraint or care about debt.—
Axios,
Axios,
25 Feb. 2025
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This season was about restraint and impact — where luxury was deliberate, innovation measured, and the conversation between past and present more compelling than ever.—
Tianwei Zhang,
WWD,
25 Feb. 2025
Noun
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The consortium has promised to reduce that to 18 months by next year, but even that’s not nearly fast enough given the severity of the transatlantic security crisis.—
David Axe,
Forbes,
2 Mar. 2025
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Read More: How Climate Change Will Affect the Seasons The firings, which are expected to continue in the coming days, have sparked outrage among experts and lawmakers, who warn that such cuts could severely hamper NOAA's ability to respond to the increasing severity of weather events.—
Nik Popli,
TIME,
28 Feb. 2025
Noun
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The potential impact of private equity in health care has been on display in Connecticut recently as Prospect Medical Holdings, a private equity company that owns four Connecticut hospitals filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy.—
Livi Stanford,
Hartford Courant,
3 Mar. 2025
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The company filed Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in January for the second time since initially filing and going private in March 2024.—
Howard Cohen,
Miami Herald,
28 Feb. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Austerity.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/austerity. Accessed 9 Mar. 2025.
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