Meaning & use
sere
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Meaning
adjectivenot comparableliterary
Dry and withered, especially describing plants or land that have lost moisture.
Grammar: Not usually used in comparative or superlative forms; typically describes a state.
Patterns
- sere grass
- sere landscape
- the sere leaves
The sere grass crackled under our feet after weeks without rain.
In the poem, the sere landscape reflects the speaker's despair.
The once lush garden had turned sere by late autumn.
Common combinations
- sere and yellow
- The sere and yellow leaves signaled the end of summer.
- sere landscape
- The sere landscape stretched for miles under the harsh sun.
- sere grass
- The sere grass rustled in the wind.
Synonyms and how they differ
- withered
- More common in everyday speech; describes plants that have dried up and shrunk.
- parched
- Emphasizes extreme dryness, often from heat or thirst; can describe land or throat.
- dried up
- A phrasal verb meaning completely dry; less literary than 'sere'.
Opposites
Commonly confused: sere or sear? sere or seer?
sere vs sear
Sear is a verb meaning to burn or scorch the surface of something; it sounds the same but has a different meaning.
sere vs seer
A seer is a person who can see the future; it is pronounced the same but is a noun.
Practice
Which sentence uses 'sere' correctly?
Choose one answer.
'Sere' means dry and withered, so 'sere and brown' fits. The other options confuse it with 'sear' (to burn) or 'seer' (a prophet), or use it incorrectly as an adjective for lush leaves.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “sere”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.