AUSTERE: Synonyms and Related Words. What is Another Word for AUSTERE?

Need another word that means the same as “austere”? Find 67 synonyms and 30 related words for “austere” in this overview.

The synonyms of “Austere” are: stern, severe, stark, ascetic, ascetical, spartan, strict, harsh, unfeeling, stony, steely, flinty, dour, grim, cold, frosty, frigid, icy, chilly, unemotional, unfriendly, formal, stiff, stuffy, reserved, remote, distant, aloof, forbidding, grave, solemn, serious, unsmiling, unsympathetic, unforgiving, uncharitable, self-denying, self-abnegating, moderate, temperate, sober, simple, frugal, restrained, self-disciplined, puritanical, self-sacrificing, hair-shirt, abstemious, abstinent, celibate, chaste, continent, plain, basic, functional, modest, unadorned, undecorated, unornamented, unembellished, unostentatious, unfurnished, uncluttered, unfussy, subdued, muted

Austere as an Adjective

Definitions of "Austere" as an adjective

According to the Oxford Dictionary of English, “austere” as an adjective can have the following definitions:

• Severely simple.
• Having a plain and unadorned appearance.
• Of a stern or strict bearing or demeanor; forbidding in aspect.
• (of living conditions or a way of life) having no comforts or luxuries.
• Practicing great self-denial.
• Practicing great self-denial- William James.
• Severe or strict in manner or attitude.

Synonyms of "Austere" as an adjective (67 Words)

abstemious	Marked by temperance in indulgence. Abstemious with the use of adverbs.
abstinent	Self-restraining; not indulging an appetite especially for food or drink. The patients are best advised to be totally abstinent from alcohol.
aloof	Conspicuously uninvolved. An aloof and somewhat austere figure.
ascetic	Pertaining to or characteristic of an ascetic or the practice of rigorous self discipline. Be systematically ascetic do something for no other reason than that you would rather not do it.
ascetical	Practicing great self-denial- William James.
basic	(of rock, especially lava) relatively poor in silica. The food was good if a bit basic.
celibate	Abstaining from sexual intercourse. A celibate lifestyle.
chaste	Morally pure (especially not having experienced sexual intercourse. What is required of celibate Catholic clergy is to remain chaste.
chilly	Uncomfortably or unpleasantly cold. He got a chilly reception from Republican activists.
cold	Of a person feeling uncomfortably cold. Cold fury gripped him.
continent	Having control over urination and defecation.
distant	(after a measurement) at a specified distance. A distant likeness.
dour	Showing a brooding ill humor- Bruce Bli. The proverbially dour New England Puritan.
flinty	(of a person or their expression) very hard and unyielding. Flinty soil.
forbidding	Threatening or foreshadowing evil or tragic developments. A forbidding scowl.
formal	Being in accord with established forms and conventions and requirements as e g of formal dress. I don t know enough about art to appreciate the purely formal qualities.
frigid	Devoid of warmth and cordiality; expressive of unfriendliness or disdain. My ex told everyone I was frigid.
frosty	Covered with frost. Got a frosty reception.
frugal	Sparing or economical as regards money or food. A frugal meal.
functional	Designed for or adapted to a function or use. Functional deafness.
grave	Of great gravity or crucial import; requiring serious thought. Faced a grave decision in a time of crisis.
grim	Shockingly repellent; inspiring horror. A grim joke.
hair-shirt	Self-sacrificing or austere.
harsh	Of textures that are rough to the touch or substances consisting of relatively large particles. Had harsh words.
icy	Devoid of warmth and cordiality; expressive of unfriendliness or disdain. Icy hands.
moderate	Not extreme. Moderate success.
modest	Humble in spirit or manner; suggesting retiring mildness or even cowed submissiveness. The modest women wear long sleeved dresses and all but cover their faces.
muted	In a softened tone. The muted hum of the distant traffic.
plain	Easy to perceive or understand; clear. A plain honest man with no nonsense about him.
puritanical	Having or displaying a very strict or censorious moral attitude towards self-indulgence or sex. His puritanical parents saw any kind of pleasure as the road to damnation.
remote	(of a chance or possibility) unlikely to occur. The remote past or future.
reserved	Marked by self-restraint and reticence. A reserved seat.
restrained	(of colour, decoration, etc.) not excessively showy or ornate; understated. The drawings with their restrained colours give a feeling of peace and contemplation.
self-abnegating	Used especially of behavior.
self-denying	Used especially of behavior.
self-disciplined	Used of nonindulgent persons.
self-sacrificing	Willing to deprive yourself.
serious	Solemn or thoughtful in character or manner. A serious wound.
severe	Severely simple. A severe attack of asthma.
simple	(botany) of leaf shapes; of leaves having no divisions or subdivisions. A simple substance.
sober	Dignified and somber in manner or character and committed to keeping promises. As sober as a judge.
solemn	Characterized by a firm and humorless belief in the validity of your opinions. He swore a solemn oath to keep faith.
spartan	Of or relating to or characteristic of Sparta or its people. The accommodation was fairly spartan.
stark	Providing no shelter or sustenance. The stark reality of life for millions of young people.
steely	Resembling steel as in hardness. Steely eyes.
stern	Of a stern or strict bearing or demeanor forbidding in aspect. A stern disciplinarian.
stiff	(of a person or their manner) not relaxed or friendly; constrained. A palace guardsman stiff as a poker.
stony	Showing unfeeling resistance to tender feelings. Rough stony paths.
strict	Characterized by strictness severity or restraint. Civil servants are bound by strict rules on secrecy.
stuffy	(of a person) not receptive to new or unusual ideas; conventional and narrow-minded. Hot and stuffy and the air was blue with smoke.
subdued	Not brilliant or glaring. A subdued whisper.
temperate	Free from extremes; mild; or characteristic of such weather or climate. The temperate zones.
unadorned	Not decorated with something to increase its beauty or distinction. The unadorned truth.
uncharitable	Lacking love and generosity. All pious words and uncharitable deeds.
uncluttered	Having nothing extraneous. An uncluttered room.
undecorated	Not adorned or decorated. The walls were completely undecorated.
unembellished	Not embellished or decorated. The unembellished truth.
unemotional	Cool and formal in manner. A flat unemotional voice.
unfeeling	Devoid of feeling for others. An unfeeling wretch.
unforgiving	Not willing to forgive or excuse people’s faults or wrongdoings. A surly unforgiving old woman.
unfriendly	Not easy to understand or use. An unfriendly action to take.
unfurnished	Not supplied. An unfurnished apartment.
unfussy	Not fussy. A simple unfussy design.
unornamented	Not having any decoration. Functional architecture featuring stark unornamented concrete.
unostentatious	Not ostentatious. Unostentatious elegance.
unsmiling	(of a person or their manner or expression) serious or unfriendly; not smiling. His face was hard and unsmiling.
unsympathetic	Not sympathetic or disposed toward. People unsympathetic to the revolution.

Usage Examples of "Austere" as an adjective

• An austere expression.
• The cathedral is impressive in its austere simplicity.
• He was an austere man, with a rigidly puritanical outlook.
• A desert nomad's austere life.
• Conditions in the prison could hardly be more austere.

Associations of "Austere" (30 Words)

abstemious	Sparing in consumption of especially food and drink. The pleasures of the table never of much consequence to one naturally abstemious.
abstinent	Self-restraining; not indulging an appetite especially for food or drink. The patients are best advised to be totally abstinent from alcohol.
ascetic	A person who follows an ascetic life. Be systematically ascetic do something for no other reason than that you would rather not do it.
asperity	Something hard to endure. He pointed this out with some asperity.
censorship	(in ancient Rome) the office or position of censor. We have strict censorship laws.
disciplinary	Concerning or enforcing discipline. A soldier will face disciplinary action after going absent without leave.
draconian	Of or relating to Draco or his harsh code of laws. The Nazis destroyed the independence of the press by a series of draconian laws.
exacting	Requiring precise accuracy. Certain highly specialized xerophytes are extremely exacting in their requirements.
extreme	The highest or most extreme degree of something. The extreme of applying for poor relief.
formalism	The use of forms of worship without regard to inner significance. There is a formalism which expresses the idea of superposition.
harsh	Sharply disagreeable; rigorous. The harsh realities of the world news.
inflexible	Not able to be changed or adapted to particular circumstances. Heavy inflexible armour.
martinet	Someone who demands exact conformity to rules and forms. A martinet of a staff officer.
moralist	A philosopher who specializes in morals and moral problems.
painstakingly	In a fastidious and painstaking manner. The property has been painstakingly restored by its current owners.
pedant	A person who pays more attention to formal rules and book learning than they merit. The royal palace some pedants would say the ex royal palace.
rigor	The quality of being valid and rigorous. The rigors of boot camp.
rigorous	(of a rule, system, etc.) strictly applied or adhered to. Rigorous application of the law.
rigour	Severity or strictness. His analysis is lacking in rigour.
severe	Severely simple. The house suffered severe damage.
severity	Excessive sternness. Hay fever symptoms vary in severity.
spartan	Of or relating to or characteristic of Sparta or its people. The accommodation was fairly spartan.
stern	Of a stern or strict bearing or demeanor forbidding in aspect. A stern face.
stoutly	With courage and determination. He stoutly maintained his innocence.
strict	Characterized by strictness severity or restraint. My father was very strict.
stringency	A state occasioned by scarcity of money and a shortage of credit.
stringent	Demanding strict attention to rules and procedures. Stringent safety measures.
stringently	In a stringent manner. The laws are stringently enforced.
unkind	Inconsiderate and harsh to others. You were terribly unkind to her.
unrelenting	Not giving way to kindness or compassion. The heat was unrelenting.