Meaning & use
sternly
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Meaning
adverbnot comparable
In a serious, firm way that shows disapproval or leaves no room for argument.
Grammar: Often describes how someone speaks or looks: said sternly, looked sternly.
Patterns
- say something sternly
- look sternly at someone
- warn someone sternly
The principal spoke sternly to the students who had been fighting.
'Put that down,' she said sternly.
He looked sternly at the child but his eyes were kind.
Common combinations
- say sternly
- 'Don't do that again,' he said sternly.
- look sternly at
- The judge looked sternly at the witness.
- warn sternly
- Doctors sternly warn smokers about heart disease.
- sternly worded
- She sent a sternly worded letter to the landlord.
- speak sternly
- Her father spoke sternly whenever she came home late.
- reprimand sternly
- The captain sternly reprimanded the careless sailor.
Synonyms and how they differ
- severely
- Severely can describe harsh punishment or criticism, while sternly mainly describes a serious tone or look.
- strictly
- Strictly suggests following rules exactly, whereas sternly describes a serious manner.
- gravely
- Gravely suggests seriousness about something important, without necessarily showing disapproval.
- harshly
- Harshly adds unkindness and roughness, which sternly does not always carry.
Opposites
Word family
- stern adjective
- serious and strict, not friendly
- sternness noun
- the quality of being serious and strict
- sterner adjective
- more strict or serious
Commonly confused: sternly or stern?
sternly vs stern
As a noun, stern also means the back end of a boat. The adjective stern describes someone strict, and it has no link to that meaning.
Practice
The teacher looked ___ at the class and waited until the noise stopped.
Choose one answer.
Sternly means in a serious, strict way, which fits a teacher waiting for silence. Warmly and playfully suggest friendliness, and absently suggests not paying attention.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “sternly”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.