Categories: GeneralSynonyms

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)

abstemiousMarked by temperance in indulgence.
Abstemious with the use of adverbs.
abstinentSelf-restraining; not indulging an appetite especially for food or drink.
The patients are best advised to be totally abstinent from alcohol.
aloofConspicuously uninvolved.
An aloof and somewhat austere figure.
asceticPertaining 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.
asceticalPracticing great self-denial- William James.
basic(of rock, especially lava) relatively poor in silica.
The food was good if a bit basic.
celibateAbstaining from sexual intercourse.
A celibate lifestyle.
chasteMorally pure (especially not having experienced sexual intercourse.
What is required of celibate Catholic clergy is to remain chaste.
chillyUncomfortably or unpleasantly cold.
He got a chilly reception from Republican activists.
coldOf a person feeling uncomfortably cold.
Cold fury gripped him.
continentHaving control over urination and defecation.
distant(after a measurement) at a specified distance.
A distant likeness.
dourShowing 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.
forbiddingThreatening or foreshadowing evil or tragic developments.
A forbidding scowl.
formalBeing 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.
frigidDevoid of warmth and cordiality; expressive of unfriendliness or disdain.
My ex told everyone I was frigid.
frostyCovered with frost.
Got a frosty reception.
frugalSparing or economical as regards money or food.
A frugal meal.
functionalDesigned for or adapted to a function or use.
Functional deafness.
graveOf great gravity or crucial import; requiring serious thought.
Faced a grave decision in a time of crisis.
grimShockingly repellent; inspiring horror.
A grim joke.
hair-shirtSelf-sacrificing or austere.
harshOf textures that are rough to the touch or substances consisting of relatively large particles.
Had harsh words.
icyDevoid of warmth and cordiality; expressive of unfriendliness or disdain.
Icy hands.
moderateNot extreme.
Moderate success.
modestHumble in spirit or manner; suggesting retiring mildness or even cowed submissiveness.
The modest women wear long sleeved dresses and all but cover their faces.
mutedIn a softened tone.
The muted hum of the distant traffic.
plainEasy to perceive or understand; clear.
A plain honest man with no nonsense about him.
puritanicalHaving 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.
reservedMarked 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-abnegatingUsed especially of behavior.
self-denyingUsed especially of behavior.
self-disciplinedUsed of nonindulgent persons.
self-sacrificingWilling to deprive yourself.
seriousSolemn or thoughtful in character or manner.
A serious wound.
severeSeverely simple.
A severe attack of asthma.
simple(botany) of leaf shapes; of leaves having no divisions or subdivisions.
A simple substance.
soberDignified and somber in manner or character and committed to keeping promises.
As sober as a judge.
solemnCharacterized by a firm and humorless belief in the validity of your opinions.
He swore a solemn oath to keep faith.
spartanOf or relating to or characteristic of Sparta or its people.
The accommodation was fairly spartan.
starkProviding no shelter or sustenance.
The stark reality of life for millions of young people.
steelyResembling steel as in hardness.
Steely eyes.
sternOf 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.
stonyShowing unfeeling resistance to tender feelings.
Rough stony paths.
strictCharacterized 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.
subduedNot brilliant or glaring.
A subdued whisper.
temperateFree from extremes; mild; or characteristic of such weather or climate.
The temperate zones.
unadornedNot decorated with something to increase its beauty or distinction.
The unadorned truth.
uncharitableLacking love and generosity.
All pious words and uncharitable deeds.
unclutteredHaving nothing extraneous.
An uncluttered room.
undecoratedNot adorned or decorated.
The walls were completely undecorated.
unembellishedNot embellished or decorated.
The unembellished truth.
unemotionalCool and formal in manner.
A flat unemotional voice.
unfeelingDevoid of feeling for others.
An unfeeling wretch.
unforgivingNot willing to forgive or excuse people’s faults or wrongdoings.
A surly unforgiving old woman.
unfriendlyNot easy to understand or use.
An unfriendly action to take.
unfurnishedNot supplied.
An unfurnished apartment.
unfussyNot fussy.
A simple unfussy design.
unornamentedNot having any decoration.
Functional architecture featuring stark unornamented concrete.
unostentatiousNot ostentatious.
Unostentatious elegance.
unsmiling(of a person or their manner or expression) serious or unfriendly; not smiling.
His face was hard and unsmiling.
unsympatheticNot 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)

abstemiousSparing in consumption of especially food and drink.
The pleasures of the table never of much consequence to one naturally abstemious.
abstinentSelf-restraining; not indulging an appetite especially for food or drink.
The patients are best advised to be totally abstinent from alcohol.
asceticA person who follows an ascetic life.
Be systematically ascetic do something for no other reason than that you would rather not do it.
asperitySomething 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.
disciplinaryConcerning or enforcing discipline.
A soldier will face disciplinary action after going absent without leave.
draconianOf or relating to Draco or his harsh code of laws.
The Nazis destroyed the independence of the press by a series of draconian laws.
exactingRequiring precise accuracy.
Certain highly specialized xerophytes are extremely exacting in their requirements.
extremeThe highest or most extreme degree of something.
The extreme of applying for poor relief.
formalismThe use of forms of worship without regard to inner significance.
There is a formalism which expresses the idea of superposition.
harshSharply disagreeable; rigorous.
The harsh realities of the world news.
inflexibleNot able to be changed or adapted to particular circumstances.
Heavy inflexible armour.
martinetSomeone who demands exact conformity to rules and forms.
A martinet of a staff officer.
moralistA philosopher who specializes in morals and moral problems.
painstakinglyIn a fastidious and painstaking manner.
The property has been painstakingly restored by its current owners.
pedantA 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.
rigorThe 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.
rigourSeverity or strictness.
His analysis is lacking in rigour.
severeSeverely simple.
The house suffered severe damage.
severityExcessive sternness.
Hay fever symptoms vary in severity.
spartanOf or relating to or characteristic of Sparta or its people.
The accommodation was fairly spartan.
sternOf a stern or strict bearing or demeanor forbidding in aspect.
A stern face.
stoutlyWith courage and determination.
He stoutly maintained his innocence.
strictCharacterized by strictness severity or restraint.
My father was very strict.
stringencyA state occasioned by scarcity of money and a shortage of credit.
stringentDemanding strict attention to rules and procedures.
Stringent safety measures.
stringentlyIn a stringent manner.
The laws are stringently enforced.
unkindInconsiderate and harsh to others.
You were terribly unkind to her.
unrelentingNot giving way to kindness or compassion.
The heat was unrelenting.
Alexei

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