What does austere mean?
Word: Austere
Part of Speech: Adjective
Meaning: Austere means very plain and simple, with no comforts or decoration. Used about a person, it means strict and serious in manner.
Synonyms: plain, stark, strict, stern
Antonyms: luxurious, ornate
Word origin: Comes through Old French and Latin from Greek austeros, 'harsh' or 'severe', a word also used for a dry, bitter taste.
How do you spell austere?
Syllables: aus - tere
Tricky part: The word opens with a short o sound, yet it is written au, so students often begin it with an o or with aw.
Watch out for: ostere, awstere, orstere
Memory tip: Start it the way Austria and Australia start: the same short o sound, written au.
Austere in a sentence
Example 1: The old hill cottage has austere rooms with stone floors, a plain bed and a single window.
Example 2: Our new principal looked austere at the first assembly, but she laughed loudly at the Teachers' Day skit.
Example 3: After the holiday feasts, Grandma went back to her austere meals of rice, lentils and a little yoghurt.
Fun Fact
The related noun austerity is used for a time when a government cuts its spending sharply; Merriam-Webster named austerity its Word of the Year for 2010 because so many people looked it up.
Practise the CREST Way
Sound Check
Which word does not rhyme with austere?
a) career
b) where
c) sincere
d) appear
Show answer
b) where. Where ends in an 'air' sound; sincere, career and appear all end in the 'eer' sound heard in austere.
Word Puzzle
Match the words with the correct options:
1. austere 2. candid 3. lethargic a. sluggish b. spartan c. frank
a) 1-b, 2-c, 3-a
b) 1-b, 2-a, 3-c
c) 1-c, 2-b, 3-a
d) 1-a, 2-c, 3-b
Show answer
a) 1-b, 2-c, 3-a. A spartan hostel is austere, a frank friend is candid, and a lethargic dog is sluggish, hardly leaving its mat.
Word Champ
Choose the correct word for the blank:
A room with bare walls, hard wooden benches and nothing at all for comfort can be called ___.
a) cosy
b) opulent
c) cluttered
d) austere
Show answer
d) austere. Opulent rooms are rich and showy, cosy ones are warm and comfortable, and cluttered ones are full of things.
Spell Spies
Choose the incorrectly spelt word:
a) adhere
b) severe
c) persevere
d) austeer
Show answer
d) austeer. Austere closes with e-r-e, an e on each side of the r, exactly like the other three words in the set.
Multiple Choice Questions
1. A cricket coach with an austere manner is ___.
a) nervous and shy
b) cheerful and jokey
c) lazy and careless
d) strict and serious
Show answer
d) strict and serious
2. Which word could replace austere in 'The hiker ate an austere meal of bread and water'?
a) lavish
b) spicy
c) simple
d) hurried
Show answer
c) simple
