Skip to content

severo

severe

adjective seh-BEH-roh Less Common
Descriptions & Qualities Degree

Also means

strict

Usage Note

Severo properly means strict, austere, or harsh: un profesor severo, una pena severa (a harsh sentence). Using it for the severity of an illness or injury (enfermedad severa) is a calque of English 'severe' that purists reject in favour of grave. The noun is severidad.

Examples

"El juez impuso una pena severa."

Natural Translation

The judge imposed a severe sentence.

Explore Spanish by topic