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Severe vs Excessive - What's the difference?

severe | excessive |

As adjectives the difference between severe and excessive

is that severe is severe, harsh while excessive is exceeding the usual bounds of something; extravagant; immoderate.

severe

English

Adjective

(er)
  • Very bad or intense.
  • * {{quote-magazine, date=2012-01
    • , author=Donald Worster , title=A Drier and Hotter Future , volume=100, issue=1, page=70 , magazine= citation , passage=Phoenix and Lubbock are both caught in severe drought, and it is going to get much worse. We may see many such [dust] storms in the decades ahead, along with species extinctions, radical disturbance of ecosystems, and intensified social conflict over land and water. Welcome to the Anthropocene, the epoch when humans have become a major geological and climatic force.}}
  • Strict or harsh.
  • Sober, plain in appearance, austere.

    • Synonyms

    * brutal * extreme * hard * harsh * intense * rigorous * serious

    Antonyms

    * (very bad or intense) mild * (very bad or intense) minor * (strict or harsh) lenient

    Derived terms

    * severely (adverb) * severity (noun) * severeness (noun)

    External links

    * * *

    Anagrams

    * ----

    excessive

    English

    Adjective

    (en adjective)
  • Exceeding the usual bounds of something; extravagant; immoderate.
    • "I personally consider putting a wide vibrato on a single 16th triplet note at 160 beats per minute rather excessive , nay even stupid."

    Synonyms

    * See also

    Antonyms

    * insufficient * deficient

    Derived terms

    * excessive number

    Related terms

    * exceed * excess