| Main Entry: | |
| Part of Speech: | adjective |
| Definition: | severe, extreme |
| Synonyms: | desperate, dire, exorbitant, extravagant, forceful, harsh, immoderate, radical, strong |
| Antonyms: | calm, collected, easy, mild |
| Main Entry: | dire |
| Part of Speech: | adjective |
| Definition: | urgent; crucial |
| Synonyms: | acute, burning, clamant, clamorous, climacteric, critical, crying, desperate, drastic, exigent, extreme, immoderate, imperative, importunate, instant, pressing |
| Antonyms: | trivial, unimportant |
| Main Entry: | draconian |
| Part of Speech: | adjective |
| Definition: | harsh |
| Synonyms: | brutal, cruel, drastic, exorbitant, extreme, heavy-handed, oppressive, rough, severe, strict, very severe |
| Main Entry: | extreme |
| Part of Speech: | adjective |
| Definition: | beyond reason and convention |
| Synonyms: | absolute, desperate, dire, downright, drastic, egregious, exaggerated, exceptional, excessive, extraordinary, extravagant, fabulous, fanatical, flagrant, gross, harsh, immoderate, improper, imprudent, inordinate, intemperate, irrational, nonsensical, out of proportion, out-and-out, outrageous, overkill, preposterous, rabid, radical, remarkable, rigid, severe, sheer, stern, strict, thorough, unbending, uncommon, uncompromising, unconventional, unreasonable, unseemly, unusual, utter, zealous |
| Antonyms: | mild, moderate |
| Main Entry: | forcible |
| Part of Speech: | adjective |
| Definition: | powerful, aggressive |
| Synonyms: | active, armed, assertive, coercive, cogent, compelling, compulsory, drastic, effective, efficient, energetic, forceful, impressive, intense, mighty, militant, persuasive, potent, puissant, strong, telling, valid, vehement, vigorous, violent, weighty |
| Notes: | forcible indicates the use of brute force, forced means done involuntarily, and forceful suggests a potential for force |
| Antonyms: | nonaggressive, weak |
| Main Entry: | rough |
| Part of Speech: | adjective |
| Definition: | rude, impolite |
| Synonyms: | bearish, bluff, blunt, boisterous, boorish, brief, brusque, churlish, coarse, crass, crude, cruel, crusty, curt, discourteous, drastic, extreme, gross*, hairy*, hard, harsh, ill-mannered, improper, inconsiderate, indecorous, indelicate, inelegant, loud, loutish, mean, nasty, raw, rowdy, severe, sharp, short, tough, unceremonious, uncivil, uncouth, uncultivated, uncultured, unfeeling, ungracious, unjust, unmannerly, unpleasant, unpolished, unrefined, untutored, violent, vulgar |
| Antonyms: | courteous, nice, polite, refined, sophisticated |
| Main Entry: | severe |
| Part of Speech: | adjective |
| Definition: | difficult, harsh |
| Synonyms: | acute, arduous, ascetic, austere, bitter, bleak, consequential, critical, dangerous, dear, demanding, despotic, distressing, domineering, drastic, effortful, exacting, extreme, fierce, forbidding, grave, grim, grinding, hard, heavy, hefty, implacable, inclement, intemperate, intense, mordant, oppressive, overbearing, pitiless, punishing, rigorous, rugged, serious, sharp, sore, strenuous, stringent, taxing, toilsome, tough, tyrannical, unpleasant, unrelenting, violent, weighty, wicked |
| Antonyms: | calm, easy, facile, mild, temperate |
| Main Entry: | stiff |
| Part of Speech: | adjective |
| Definition: | extreme, severe |
| Synonyms: | austere, brisk, cruel, drastic, exact, excessive, exorbitant, extravagant, great, hard, harsh, heavy, immoderate, inexorable, inordinate, oppressive, pitiless, potent, powerful, rigorous, sharp, steep, strict, stringent, strong, towering, unconscionable, undue, vigorous |
| Antonyms: | calm, moderate, normal |
| Main Entry: | strong |
| Part of Speech: | adjective |
| Definition: | extreme |
| Synonyms: | acute, draconian, drastic, forceful, intense, keen, severe, sharp, strict |
| Antonyms: | mild, moderate |