severe If something is severe, it’s serious, dangerous, deep, or very strong. - Many schools are closed today due to severe weather.
- Severe cold can cause problems for a car.
- Severe cold can result in frosbite for a person’s hands or feet.
- Scientists warn of severe problems for the planet if we don’t take climate protection seriously.
- A headache can cause severe pain.
- Severe back pain affects many people.
- Renee suffers from severe depression.
- Noah received a severe cut to his hand while slicing some meat with a sharp knife.
- Hospitals treat severe injuries every day.

The word "severely" is an adverb: - Severely dry skin can cause itching.
- A severely depressed person might need treatment.
- A woman severely beaten by her husband drove herself to the hospital.
The word "severity" is a noun: - No one realized the severity of the situation until it was too late.
- The severity of the young man’s illness was not apparent until he died.
- The severity of the punishment–life in prison–was justified by the nature of the defendant’s crime.
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