Word of the day · 23 August 2026
austere
/ɒˈstɪə/
adjective
Severe or strict in manner, attitude or appearance; plain and without luxury.
In a sentence
- The room's austere white walls made every object matter.
- He kept an austere routine: early rises, no idle scrolling.
- Critics called the film's style austere but emotionally exact.
In an image
Origin
From Greek austēros (harsh, dry, severe) via Latin and French.
History
The Greek root points to something tart or harsh to the taste. English applied austere to morals, living conditions and design that strip away comfort. Monastic life and wartime thrift gave the word lasting social weight. In design talk today it often means deliberate simplicity rather than grim denial.
Nearby words
stern · spare · ascetic
Spare style that refuses soft edges and excess.