austere: Meaning and Definition of

aus•tere

Pronunciation: (ô-stēr'), [key]
— adj.
  1. severe in manner or appearance; uncompromising; strict; forbidding: an austere teacher.
  2. rigorously self-disciplined and severely moral; ascetic; abstinent: the austere quality of life in the convent.
  3. grave; sober; solemn; serious: an austere manner.
  4. without excess, luxury, or ease; simple; limited; severe: an austere life.
  5. severely simple; without ornament: austere writing.
  6. lacking softness; hard: an austere bed of straw.
  7. rough to the taste; sour or harsh in flavor.
Random House Unabridged Dictionary, Copyright © 1997, by Random House, Inc., on Infoplease.
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