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stern1

 
 
pronunciation:
stuhrn
features:
Word Combinations (adjective)
part of speech: adjective
inflections: sterner, sternest
definition 1: firm and uncompromising.
His father had a stern will, and no one could persuade him differently once his mind was made up.Stern actions will have to be taken in the light of this crime.
synonyms:
firm, rigorous, severe, strict
antonyms:
flexible, lenient, soft
similar words:
adamant, determined, dour, Draconian, exacting, grim, hard, imperious, inflexible, obdurate, overbearing, resolute, rigid, stiff, stringent, unbending, uncompromising, unyielding
definition 2: grim or forbidding.
His face was stern, and we knew then that we were in trouble.
synonyms:
austere, dour, forbidding, grim
antonyms:
friendly, genial, gentle
similar words:
cold, gloomy, grave, hard, hardhearted, harsh, Spartan, stark, sullen, unbending, uninviting, unkind
Word CombinationsSubscriber feature About this feature
derivations: sternly (adj.), sternness (n.)