What does austere mean?
"Austere" is an adjective describing something severe, strict, or deliberately plain — whether in manner, design, or way of life. An austere person may appear stern, reserved, or unyielding; an austere room or building is stripped of decoration and comfort; an austere lifestyle involves self-discipline and the avoidance of luxury. The word carries a double-edged connotation: it can suggest admirable restraint, integrity, and clarity of purpose, as in minimalist architecture or monastic simplicity, or it can imply coldness, harshness, and unwelcoming rigidity, as in an austere bureaucracy or an austere childhood. It is common in formal and literary contexts, appearing frequently in discussions of art, economics (via its relative "austerity"), religion, and personal character. Related forms include "austerely" (adverb). For writers, "austere" is a precise and evocative choice whenever plainness and severity are meant together.
adjectiveSevere or strict in manner, appearance, or attitude, without any decoration, comfort, or indulgence; plain and unadorned.
- Severe or strict in manner or attitude.
- Plain and without decoration, comfort, or excess.
"The monk's cell was austere: a bare bed, a wooden table, and nothing else."
"His austere demeanor made him seem unapproachable to new colleagues."
"The building's austere concrete facade was a deliberate rejection of ornament."
The word 'austere' comes from the Latin 'austerus', meaning 'dry or harsh' — the same root that gives us 'austerity', the economic policy of cutting back to essentials.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of austere
"Austere" derives from the Latin "austerus", meaning dry, harsh, or rough, which itself was borrowed from the Greek "austēros" of similar meaning. It entered English in the early modern period (attested from around the late 14th–early 15th century) with the sense of harsh or severe. Its most prominent English relative is "austerity", the noun describing strictness or self-denial, now widely used in economic and political discourse.
Related word forms
How austere is actually used
Formal to neutral register. Often carries connotations of discipline, self-denial, or deliberate simplicity; can be admiring (as in architectural minimalism) or critical (as in coldness or harshness).
Easily confused with austere
Astringent means harsh in taste or style, especially of substances that contract tissue or writing that is sharply critical, whereas austere describes plainness, severity, or absence of luxury.