- (n.) The quality or state of being severe.
- (n.) Harshness; cruel treatment; sharpness of punishment; as, severity practiced on prisoners of war.
- (n.) The quality or power of distressing or paining; extreme degree; extremity; intensity; inclemency; as, the severity of pain or anguish; the severity of cold or heat; the severity of the winter.
- (n.) Gravity or austerity; extreme strictness; rigor; harshness; as, the severity of a reprimand or a reproof; severity of discipline or government; severity of penalties.
- (n.) Exactness; rigorousness; strictness; as, the severity of a test.
Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary
| APA | Webster's. (2011). severity. Retrieved September 20, 2026, from http://smartdefine.org/severity/definitions/2060889 |
| Chicago | Webster's. 2011. "severity" http://smartdefine.org/severity/definitions/2060889 (accessed September 20, 2026). |
| Harvard | Webster's 2011, severity, Smart Define, viewed 20 September, 2026, <http://smartdefine.org/severity/definitions/2060889>. |
| MLA | Webster's. "severity" 28 May 2011. Web. 20 September 2026. <http://smartdefine.org/severity/definitions/2060889> |