austere
Very plain and strict, without comfort or decoration.
austere in a sentence
- The knight's room was austere: a hard bed, a bare table and one small candle.
- The austere waiting room had grey walls, hard chairs and not a single picture.
Try an 11+ style question
Verbal reasoning papers often ask about a word like this.
Which word is closest in meaning to austere?
- Asoft
- Bplain
- Ccosy
- Dfancy
Show the answer
B: plain. The other three mean the opposite of austere.
Which word is most nearly opposite in meaning to austere?
- Aplain
- Bfancy
- Cbare
- Dstrict
Show the answer
B: fancy. The other three mean nearly the same as austere.
Words that mean something similar
plain, bare, strict
Words that mean the opposite
fancy, cosy, soft
More words about places & settings
- barren: Empty and bare, where nothing can grow.
- barricade: A barrier built quickly to block the way.
- besieged: Surrounded by enemies or crowds, or overwhelmed by many requests.
- bustling: Full of busy, noisy activity.
- cavern: A very large cave.
- chaotic: Completely confused and without any order.
- chasm: A very deep crack or gap in the ground.
- crevice: A narrow crack in rock or a wall.
More words to explore
Sitting the 11+ in Kent, Medway or Buckinghamshire?
Plain-English guides to each test, from the councils’ own pages: Kent Test · Medway Test · Bucks Secondary Transfer Test