Words / C1

si-VER-uh-tee/sɪˈverəti/

Severity is how serious or harsh something is: the severity of the injury, severity of the penalty. Severe is the adjective; seriousness is everyday. Gravity can mean seriousness in formal prose. Do not use severity for a mild delay.

Meaning

The quality of being very serious, harsh, or extreme.

Examples

• “The severity of the cuts surprised even the finance team.”
• “The severity of the flooding, not the headline count of “incidents”, drove the closure.”
• “A severe cold is illness; severity of a sentence is legal harshness.”

Good to know

How serious/harsh it is. Adjective: severe. Everyday: seriousness. Formal cousin: gravity. Not a slight hitch.

Near in meaning

seriousness

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