The bug was assigned high severity but low priority.
The storm's severity surprised the residents.
A risk matrix compares likelihood with severity.
Her face softened after a moment of severity.
The logging system uses severity levels such as warning and error.
Similar words
score
gravity
impact level
seriousness level
rigor
harshness
level
magnitude
classification
hardness
Meanings
Seriousness or intensity
noun
everyday
neutral
The degree to which a problem, illness, injury, weather event, punishment, or situation is serious, intense, or harmful.
Examples
Doctors assessed the severity of the injury.
The storm's severity surprised the residents.
The punishment should match the severity of the offense.
Symptoms vary in severity from mild to extreme.
The report ranked the severity of each risk.
Similar words
seriousness
intensity
gravity
degree
extent
harshness
magnitude
Harshness or strictness
noun
everyday
formal
The quality of being very strict, harsh, plain, or hard in manner, treatment, rules, style, or conditions.
Examples
The severity of the judge's tone silenced the room.
The novel describes the severity of winter in the mountains.
Some students disliked the severity of the old rules.
The building's plain stone walls gave it a sense of severity.
Her face softened after a moment of severity.
Similar words
harshness
strictness
sternness
austerity
rigor
plainness
hardness
Technical level or rating
noun
technical
technical
A measured or assigned level showing how serious a condition, risk, incident, bug, injury, or log message is within a system or scale.
Examples
The bug was assigned high severity but low priority.
The triage nurse recorded the severity of each case.
A risk matrix compares likelihood with severity.
The logging system uses severity levels such as warning and error.
The injury severity score helped guide treatment.
Similar words
rating
level
score
classification
grade
impact level
seriousness level
Etymology
From severe, through French and Latin severus, meaning strict, serious, or harsh. Severity names the quality or degree of being severe.
FAQ
What does severity mean?
It means the degree of seriousness, intensity, harshness, or impact of something.
Is severity a noun or adjective?
Severity is a noun. The adjective is severe.
What is a severity level?
A severity level is a rating that shows how serious or high-impact a problem, injury, incident, or risk is.
Is severity the same as likelihood?
No. Severity is the impact or seriousness. Likelihood is the chance that something will happen.
What is severity in software?
It is the impact level of a bug, incident, or log message, often separate from priority.
What is a synonym for severity?
Synonyms include seriousness, intensity, gravity, harshness, strictness, level, and rating.
How do you use severity in a sentence?
For example: Doctors assessed the severity of the injury.
Comments & contributions
Know this word from another angle? Add a correction, a nuance, or a usage note. New posts go public after a quick review.
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Oaken Bunting
Jul 13
severity has such a serious face, even the word looks strict
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Quirky Curlew
Jul 11
i always read this word in hospital forms before I ever heard anyone say it out loud
1
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Contribution
Winter Dolphin
Jul 8
Spanish learners, dont force severidad every time. For severity of an injury or problem, gravedad is often the word you want. Severidad is fine for strictness and in some technical fields.
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Loyal Owl
Jul 9
en medicina tambien leo severidad, pero gravedad suena mas natural para accidente o enfermedad
0
Contribution
Emerald Ibis
Jul 3
The austere meaning is real but bookish. 'the severity of the room' can work in an art review, for a rental listing people will think the place is scary or miserable
2
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Contribution
Rapid Marmot
Jul 2
I would not use this in normal chat much. In reports, medicine, weather, courts, software, totally normal. At dinner its 'how bad is it?' not 'what is the severity?'
3
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Pale Rabbit
Jun 30
In logging, severity is the level name doing filter work. If a logger threshold is WARNING, ERROR and CRITICAL normally pass too because they are more severe.
4
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Contribution
Smoky Plover
Jun 27
Medical people use severity for symptoms too, but the number may be the patient's own rating. Pain severity 7/10 means the scale is recording reported intensity, not that a machine measured seven pain units.
5
Reply
Opal Macaw
Jun 28
yeah and different clinics use different cutoffs, mild moderate severe are not universal magic words
1
Contribution
Hidden Crane
Jun 19
One trap with risk matrices: severity is only one axis. Multiplying the row number by the column number feels tidy, but a 5x5 matrix is still a policy shortcut, not physics
6
Reply
Cheery Fox
Jun 24
dont let the colors do the thinking, basically
0
Contribution
Emerald Fox
Jun 15
In software tickets, severity is usually the blast radius, priority is when the team is going to touch it. A checkout crash is severe even if release says later, and a wrong logo can jump the queue with low severity.
11
Reply
Hardy Tiger
Jun 16
this is why arguing 'but its a P1' never tells me how broken it is lol