Transcription
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- US Pronunciation
- US IPA
- UK Pronunciation
- UK IPA
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- [aw-steer]
- /ɔˈstɪər/
- /ɔːˈstɪər/
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- US Pronunciation
- US IPA
-
- [aw-steer]
- /ɔˈstɪər/
Definitions of austere word
- adjective austere If you describe something as austere, you approve of its plain and simple appearance. 3
- adjective austere If you describe someone as austere, you disapprove of them because they are strict and serious. 3
- adjective austere An austere way of life is one that is simple and without luxuries. 3
- adjective austere An austere economic policy is one which reduces people's living standards sharply. 3
- adjective austere stern or severe in attitude or manner 3
- adjective austere grave, sober, or serious 3
Information block about the term
Origin of austere
First appearance:
before 1300 One of the 15% oldest English words
1300-50; Middle English (< Anglo-French) < Latin austērus < Greek austērós harsh, rough, bitter
Historical Comparancy
Parts of speech for Austere
noun
adjective
verb
adverb
pronoun
preposition
conjunction
determiner
exclamation
austere popularity
A common word. It’s meaning is known to most children of preschool age. About 95% of English native speakers know the meaning and use the word.
Most Europeans know this English word. The frequency of it’s usage is somewhere between "mom" and "screwdriver".
austere usage trend in Literature
This diagram is provided by Google Ngram ViewerSynonyms for austere
adj austere
- stringent — rigorously binding or exacting; strict; severe: stringent laws.
- somber — gloomily dark; shadowy; dimly lighted: a somber passageway.
- forbidding — grim; unfriendly; hostile; sinister: his forbidding countenance.
- rigid — stiff or unyielding; not pliant or flexible; hard: a rigid strip of metal.
- sober — not intoxicated or drunk.
adjective austere
- unsmiling — to assume a facial expression indicating pleasure, favor, or amusement, but sometimes derision or scorn, characterized by an upturning of the corners of the mouth.
- basic — You use basic to describe things, activities, and principles that are very important or necessary, and on which others depend.
- sparse — thinly scattered or distributed: a sparse population.
- barren — A barren landscape is dry and bare, and has very few plants and no trees.
- decorated — (often initial capital letter) of pertaining to, or characteristic of the English gothic architecture of the late 13th through the late 14th centuries, characterized by curvilinear tracery, elaborate ornamental sculpture and vaulting, and refinement of stonecutting techniques.
Antonyms for austere
adj austere
- meek — humbly patient or docile, as under provocation from others.
- indulgent — characterized by or showing indulgence; benignly lenient or permissive: an indulgent parent.
- luxurious — characterized by luxury; ministering or conducive to luxury: a luxurious hotel.
- flexible — capable of being bent, usually without breaking; easily bent: a flexible ruler.
- bland — If you describe someone or something as bland, you mean that they are rather dull and unexciting.
adjective austere
- comfortable — If a piece of furniture or an item of clothing is comfortable, it makes you feel physically relaxed when you use it, for example because it is soft.
- ornate — elaborately or sumptuously adorned, often excessively or showily so: They bought an ornate Louis XIV sofa.
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See also
Matching words
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