Definitions

stern

[sturn] / stɜrn /

ADJECTIVE

serious, authoritarian

Synonyms

STRONGEST

flinty grim hard-nosed harsh rigid steely strict tough

STRONG

ascetic astringent bitter forbidding rough

WEAK

austere bullheaded by the book cruel disciplinary dyed-in-the-wool frowning hang-tough hard hard-boiled hard-core hard-line hard-shell hardheaded implacable inexorable inflexible mortified mulish relentless rigorous severe stiff-necked stubborn unrelenting unsparing unyielding

Antonyms

STRONGEST

easy flexible gentle kind lenient nice soft yielding

STRONG

bland mild

WEAK

cheerful funny light smiling tolerant

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

The professor of corporate finance at NYU’s Stern School of Business estimates SpaceX’s equity value at around $1.3 trillion.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 7, 2026

Joost van Dreunen, a professor of games business at NYU Stern, argues that unlike books, films or music, many games are built around communities and online interaction.

From BBC • Jun. 6, 2026

Mark Joseph Stern: This is one reason why, if the justices do strike down his attack on birthright citizenship, nobody should say: “Look, they’re putting Trump in his place! He’s really not a king!”

From Slate • Jun. 1, 2026

"Is this an amazing company or is it ridiculously overvalued? The answer is yes," quipped Scott Galloway, a marketing professor at NYU Stern.

From Barron's • May 20, 2026

As he was frantically searching the cattle cars filled with people, looking for Stern, Schindler spotted Tsalig and recognized him as his worker Moshe's son.

From "The Boy on the Wooden Box" by Leon Leyson

Vocabulary lists containing stern

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"The Raven" by Edgar Allan Poe

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List 6

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