Skip to content
GREMockTests
GRE vocabulary

austere

adjectiveHigh-frequency wordMore A words

severe or plain in manner or appearance

Word origin: From Greek austeros, harsh or severe.

In a sentence

Austere in a sentence

Here are example sentences showing austere in a sentence.

The monastery's austere rooms contained only a bed and a desk.

The gallery's austere white walls drew all attention to the single sculpture at its center.

Usage & nuance

Using “austere” well

Austere describes severe plainness, whether in a person's manner or in unadorned surroundings. It can connote disciplined restraint or forbidding sternness depending on context.

Common questions

Questions about “austere

Austere (adjective) means severe or plain in manner or appearance
Here is austere used in an example sentence: "The monastery's austere rooms contained only a bed and a desk." Another example: "The gallery's austere white walls drew all attention to the single sculpture at its center."
Common synonyms for austere include stern, spartan, ascetic.
Antonyms of austere include lavish, indulgent, ornate.
Austere clusters with stern, spartan, and ascetic in Sentence Equivalence. Its antonyms lavish, indulgent, and ornate mark the richness or decoration a passage may contrast against it.
Yes. Austere is a high-frequency GRE word, so it is worth prioritising as you build your vocabulary.

Learn words the way the GRE tests them.

Vocabulary sticks when you meet it in real sentences. Practise these words inside text completion and sentence equivalence questions.