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- Dictionarystern/stəːn/
adjective
- 1. (of a person or their manner) serious and unrelenting, especially in the assertion of authority and exercise of discipline: "a smile transformed his stern face" Similar Opposite
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STERN definition: 1. severe, or showing disapproval: 2. If something, such as a job, is stern, it is difficult: 3…. Learn more.
The meaning of STERN is having a definite hardness or severity of nature or manner : austere. How to use stern in a sentence. Synonym Discussion of Stern.
Stern, strict, severe, harsh, unforgiving — they all more or less mean the same thing, which is very tough and exacting, with a little helping of seriousness thrown in for good measure.
Stern, severe, harsh agree in referring to methods, aspects, manners, or facial expressions. Stern implies uncompromising, inflexible firmness, and sometimes a hard, forbidding, or withdrawn aspect or nature: a stern parent.
Stern words or actions are very severe. She issued a stern warning to those who persist in violence. He said stern measures would be taken against the killers. Michael gave the dog a stern look. Synonyms: strict, harsh, rigorous, hard More Synonyms of stern.
Definition of stern adjective in Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary. Meaning, pronunciation, picture, example sentences, grammar, usage notes, synonyms and more.
adj. 1. showing uncompromising or inflexible resolve; firm, strict, or authoritarian. 2. lacking leniency or clemency; harsh or severe. 3. relentless; unyielding: the stern demands of parenthood. 4. having an austere or forbidding appearance or nature.