austereness

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noun

harshness or astringent sourness to the taste; acerbity.

Similar
severitysevereness
Scrabble 11
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Meanings

nounaustereness (uncountable)
  1. The state of being austere
    1. uncountableharshness or astringent sourness to the taste; acerbity.
    2. uncountableseverity; strictness; austerity.

      VVho will beleeue thee Iſabell? / My vnſoild name, th' auſteereneſſe of my life, / My vouch againſt you, and my place i'th State, / VVill ſo your accuſation ouer-vveigh, / That you ſhall ſtifle in your ovvne report, / And ſmell of calumnie.

      c. 1603–1604 (date written), William Shakespeare, “Measure for Measure”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act II, scene iv], page 70, column 1

Synonyms & antonyms

nounextreme plainness

Similar
severitysevereness
Broader
plainness
Also see
severenessseveritysourness

Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.

Origin

From austere + -ness.

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

austereness. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/austereness

MLA

“austereness.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/austereness. Accessed November 3, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “austereness,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/austereness.

Source: austereness on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.