stern

CEFRB2

/stɜːn/

adjective · noun

Türkçe translations

Translating…

In plain English

  1. 01

    adjective

    Serious and strict in manner.

  2. 02

    adjective

    Extra detail

    Grim and forbidding in appearance.

Examples

  • His stern tone and loud voice belied his inner sensitivity and caring nature.

  • Our teacher is at once stern and kindly.

At a glance

Sits at B2 on the CEFR scale

Senses
5
Parts of speech
2
Citations
5
Synonyms
5

Deep Dive

adjective

Extra meanings

  1. The rear part (after end) of a ship or other vessel.

  2. Having a hardness and severity of nature or manner.

noun

Extra meaning

  1. The hinder part of anything.

More examples

In context

  • Holonyms: watercraft < vessel

  • stern as tutors, and as uncles hard

  • I haue beene wooed, as I intreat thee now, / Euen by the ſterne, and direfull God of warre, / VVhoſe ſinowie necke in battel nere did bow, / VVho conquers where he comes in euery iarre; […]

Synonyms

Antonyms

Quick test

Two questions on this entry. Nothing is scored.

Question 1 · Quick check

The strict teacher gave a blank look when his students misbehaved in class.

Practise this properly in the app, where the word comes back before you forget it.

Nearby

Origin

adjective

From Middle English stern, sterne, sturne, from Old English styrne (“stern, grave, strict, austere, hard, severe, cruel”), from Proto-Germanic *sturnijaz (“angry, astonished, shocked”), from Proto-Indo-European *ster- (“rigid, stiff”). Cognate with Scots stern (“bold, courageous, fierce, resolute”), Old High German stornēn (“to be astonished”), Dutch stuurs (“glum, austere”), Swedish stursk (“insolent”).