stern
42
4.3
- adjective
- /stɜrn/
:
severo
- Her stern expression made it clear that she was not going to tolerate any nonsense.
- a stern warning
When people just have such stern and strong beliefs in a thing.
- When people just have such stern and strong beliefs in a thing.
- It makes you less approving, makes you sterner in certain ways.
- My personality is stern and put together.
- Dad is a very, you know, stern individual, but he's very forward thinking.
- This dad, I mean, it kind of boring, but stern but fair.
- So you're rebelling against your stern father?
- And so he was very empathetic, very stern.
- Like I would look out and I would see my mother, you know, having a stern face with me.
- But again, as I said earlier, someone can be strong, stern, have boundaries and still be a very nice person.
- For me, I would have loved it and I look the same way for like a Bill Belichick who's stern, who's hard and who's the Patriot way.
- I feel like this stern talking to tonight was well in order.
Examples
-
I had a very stern and cold father.
-
You are a stern man.
-
I have to have a stern talking with him.
-
The both of them then turn to notice the stern faces of the three old women.
Fiction book (1993) -
I'm sorry to be so stern with you, Barbara.
-
She was a stern but fair teacher, and over time, I began to remember the joy of living in pure state of being.
-
He's very strong and could be quite stern, but he's very kind.
-
But to those who knew her, this stern demeanor often melted away.
Academic text (1993) -
Louisa Bry is a stern taskmaster.
-
The teacher gave a stern warning to the students about the consequences of cheating.
Synonyms
359
3.2
Not allowing any exceptions and requiring rules to be followed exactly
131
5.1
Keeps going without stopping and stays very strong
68
4.2
Very strict and harsh when judging or punishing people
35
5.8
Not willing to forgive someone and acting without mercy
28
7.0
Not stopping and not getting less strong
11
8.6
Impossible to stop or change
7
4.6
Having strong, unchanging determination not to give up
7
7.0
Needing a lot of care and attention to small details
3
7.8
Having a serious, strict look that shows little warmth
Antonyms
Idioms
Compounds
5
3.4
A firm, serious statement that tells someone to stop wrong or dangerous behavior
How Strict
Surface Forms
Etymology
Stern meaning serious or strict comes from an old English word styrne that meant 'severe' or 'harsh', so you can picture a strict face that will not smile. That's why a stern person is serious and does not give in.