STERNLY Synonyms: 62 Similar and Opposite Words

sternly

adverb

Definition of sternly

as in harshly

in a manner so as to cause loss or suffering sternly reprimanded the prosecuting attorney for making comments that never should have been heard by the jury

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

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Recent Examples of sternly Colombia manager Hernan Dario Gomez had sternly instructed Sanchez to play clean and to avoid a potential red card. — Felipe Cardenas, New York Times, 7 July 2026 That church, by the way, is of the sternly Evangelical variety, and the Gheorghius take it very seriously indeed. — Guy Lodge, Variety, 18 May 2026 Did DeSantis call Uthmeier on the carpet and sternly instruct him to follow the law? — Orlando Sentinel Editorial Board, The Orlando Sentinel, 22 Mar. 2026 After sternly addressing the company executives who put the city through a year-long court battle, the Leavenworth Planning Commission on Monday evening voted 5-1 to recommend granting CoreCivic’s zoning application to operate for at least three years. — Matthew Kelly february 3, Kansas City Star, 3 Feb. 2026 The lawsuit comes days after Austin voters sternly rejected a 20% property tax increase as the city struggles to overcome a budget deficit. — Dante Motley, Austin American Statesman, 6 Nov. 2025 This folly—which Iran has sternly warned against—is immoral, unjustified, and unlawful. — Amira El-Fekki‎, MSNBC Newsweek, 2 Sep. 2025 Sulmona gave the Catholic world a pope, Innocent VII in the 15th century, but Piazza XX Settembre is the location of Sulmona’s foremost historical figure, the greatest of all Roman poets, Ovid, whose bronze statue stands sternly atop a pedestal. — John Mariani, Forbes.com, 5 Aug. 2025

Recent Examples of Synonyms for sternly

Adverb

Hair in Sports Women are often judged more harshly than male counterparts in many aspects of life, but this is especially true in sports.

— Audrey Noble, Vogue, 15 Oct. 2026
But their complaints come as Lecornu's government seeks to rein in public spending to appease skittish bond markets, which have punished France more harshly than many of its peers this year, amid a global bond market rout.

— Jenni Reid, CNBC, 8 Oct. 2026

Definition of harshly

Adverb

Many of the children's bodies were severely decomposed, with only 26 able to be identified, and investigations into the other deaths are ongoing.

— Jefferson Kahinju Reuters, Arkansas Online, 20 Oct. 2026
At least one case of congenital measles led to a death; the first death reported in the current outbreak was in a newborn baby boy, who died immediately after birth while his mother was severely ill with measles.

— Beth Mole, ArsTechnica, 19 Oct. 2026

Definition of severely

Adverb

The summer had seen Europe endure an oppressively dry, hot summer, which had seen wildfires spring up across the continent.

— Anthony Wood, Space.com, 26 Aug. 2026
After a bit of a reprieve from an oppressively hot summer, another heat wave is set to scorch Southern California this week.

— Grace Toohey, Los Angeles Times, 17 Aug. 2026