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Someone who is abstemious avoids doing too much of something enjoyable, such as eating or drinking; rather, they consume in a moderate fashion.
Abstinence is the practice of keeping away from or avoiding something you enjoy—such as the physical pleasures of excessive food and drink—usually for health or religious reasons.
To accentuate something is to emphasize it or make it more noticeable.
When you are acquisitive, you are driven to pursue and own wealth and possessions—often in a greedy fashion.
When you cavort, you jump and dance around in a playful, excited, or physically lively way.
If you covet something that someone else has, you have a strong desire to have it for yourself.
A deficit occurs when a person or government spends more money than has been received.
To denude an area is to remove the plants and trees that cover it; it can also mean to make something bare.
Desiderata are a wish list of things that are considered highly desirable or necessary to have.
Someone who is dour is serious, stubborn, and unfriendly; they can also be gloomy.
Someone who is epicurean derives great pleasure in material and sensual things, especially good food and drink.
Something exacting needs a lot of care, skill, and attention to carry out.
An exorbitant price or fee is much higher than what it should be or what is considered reasonable.
An extravaganza is an elaborate production or spectacular display that is meant to entertain, often in an excessive fashion.
If someone or something is flamboyant, the former is trying to show off in a way that deliberately attracts attention, and the latter is brightly colored and highly decorated.
Something florid has too much decoration or is too elaborate.
Someone who is frugal spends very little money—and even then only on things that are absolutely necessary.
The word homogeneous is used to describe a group that has members or parts which are similar or are all of the same type.
Someone who is indulgent tends to let other people have what they want; someone can be kind to excess when being indulgent.
If something is inordinate, it is much larger in amount or degree than is normally expected.
If someone has an insatiable desire for something, they always want more of it and never feel as though they have enough.
Something luxuriant, such as plants or hair, is growing well and is very healthy.
A monastic lifestyle is very simple—it is not given to excess in any way; rather, it is a lifestyle of self-denial.
Something that is multifarious is made up of many kinds of different things.
An ornate object is heavily or excessively decorated with complicated shapes and patterns.
A palatial structure is grand and impressive, such as a palace or mansion.
To pare something down is to reduce or lessen it.
A parsimonious person is not willing to give or spend money.
Animals preen when they smooth out their fur or their feathers; humans preen by making themselves beautiful in front of a mirror.
Someone who behaves in a prodigal way spends a lot of money and/or time carelessly and wastefully with no concern for the future.
Something prosaic is dull, boring, and ordinary.
If you describe a person’s behavior as rapacious, you disapprove of them because they always want more money, goods, or possessions than they really need.
If you are ravenous, you are extremely hungry.
A spartan lifestyle is very simple and severe; it has no luxuries or comforts.
Something that is unadorned is not made more attractive with ornament or decoration.
A feeling that is unbridled is enthusiastic and unlimited in its expression.
Adj.
austere
aw-STEER
Context
The austere, plain chamber in which the monk lived reflected the strict nature of his holy vows. In his bare dwelling, the monk practiced the austere and stern disciplines of prayer, fasting, and chant. When visitors came to him for help, his expression of welcome was in no way severe or austere but rather warm and welcoming to all those in need who crossed his threshold.
Quiz:Try again!
What does an austere room look like?
It is neatly organized and looks recently cleaned.
It is overly cluttered with broken or useless items.
It has few or no decorations to enliven its surroundings.
Austin Steers Wrong Way We were hoping that the austere and stern priest might steerAustin towards more serious pursuits, but Austin's fun-loving and partying way of life did not give way to the priest's somber and strict advice.
Examples
The long driveway ends in a motor court facing an austere garage and studio, a fortress-like facade softened by recessed stained-glass doors created by Judy Jensen that form the visual center and provide a splash of vivid color.
—
Los Angeles Times
Four months later, the governor said that releasing inmates early was "the fairest way to go," because he had targeted almost every other state program for cuts in his austere budget proposal.
—
Los Angeles Times
Early Tuesday morning, Marine generals had gathered at an austere mobile desert outpost to plot the strategy for their final push to isolate Kuwait City.
—
The Washington Post
If this seems too austere a standard, note that 88% of the rural Indians in their surveys lived on less than this, and that the middle-class Britons who won Mill’s praise earned little more.
—
The Economist
Austere rules and regulations can often be “harsh, rough, or bitter” for those who have to follow them.
Word Theater
Buddhist Priests These Buddhist priests are undergoing austere training for a period of one hundred days.
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Word Constellation
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Related Words
abstemious ·
abstinence ·
denude ·
dour ·
exacting ·
frugal ·
homogeneous ·
monastic+ ·
pare ·
parsimonious ·
prosaic ·
spartan ·
unadorned ·
accentuate ·
acquisitive ·
cavort ·
covet ·
deficit ·
desiderata ·
epicurean ·
exorbitant ·
extravaganza+ ·
flamboyant ·
florid ·
indulgent+ ·
inordinate ·
insatiable ·
luxuriant ·
multifarious ·
ornate ·
palatial+ ·
preen ·
prodigal ·
rapacious ·
ravenous ·
unbridled ·
Similar sense
Opposite sense
Word Variants
austerity
n
→
strict or severe discipline or economy
The section lists important variants and alternate definitions of the headword. Knowing variants will often help you both remember and understand the word. Not all variants are listed - only the ones we think that are important for you to know.