How to Use austere in a Sentence

austere

adjective
  • They lived an austere life in the country.
  • He was known for his austere style of writing.
  • They choose austere furnishings for the office.
  • In this austere, arid world, brown was the coin of the realm.
    David Kelly, Los Angeles Times, 17 Oct. 2019
  • The store, the brand’s first outside Japan, is calm and austere.
    New York Times, 22 Apr. 2021
  • Eni’s response to the oil-price crash of 2014 was the most austere among the majors.
    Sarah Kent, WSJ, 16 Mar. 2018
  • The shrines themselves are austere and hard to see from the pathways.
    The Washington Post, The Denver Post, 23 Feb. 2017
  • The show itself maintained the austere tone of the Mueller report.
    Jeffrey Toobin, The New Yorker, 1 July 2019
  • The verdict: The Jiffy brownie mix was, in a word, austere.
    Sam Stone, Bon Appétit, 8 Mar. 2023
  • The rest of his crew lived aboveground, in austere barracks.
    Ed Caesar, The New Yorker, 23 Jan. 2021
  • The cabin is roomy and handsome—if a bit more austere than the S4 cockpit.
    Arthur St. Antoine, Car and Driver, 15 Dec. 2022
  • As should this unique red blend and a classic, austere rosé of pinot noir from the Finger Lakes.
    Washington Post, 21 May 2021
  • The space is austere and solemn, with beige walls and icy climate control.
    David Maurice Smith, Smithsonian, 23 Aug. 2019
  • If there is one way to avoid a dining room that is cold and austere, get some cool old knick knacks.
    Leilani Marie Labong, SFChronicle.com, 13 Mar. 2020
  • Withers’s sound reaches back to the austere roots of the blues and country music.
    Reginald Dwayne Betts Kiese Makeba Laymon Carina Del Valle Schorske Dessa Irina Aleksander Sam Dolnick Mark Binelli Maggie Jones Rob Hoerburger Jamie Lauren Keiles Devin Gordon Jazmine Hughes Jenna Wortham Jade Chang Taffy Brodesser-Akner Kaitlyn Greenidge Rowan Ricardo Phillips Michael Paterniti Wesley Morris Ismail Muhammad Anthony Giardina, New York Times, 23 Dec. 2020
  • The Venetian blinds on the windows also felt austere to them.
    Julia Zaltzman, Robb Report, 7 Apr. 2023
  • Looking at this room of Matisses, this is one of the more austere ones.
    New York Times, 17 June 2019
  • In the age-old battle between the austere and the lavish, sometimes more is just more.
    Sadie Stein, ELLE Decor, 23 May 2018
  • The walls are otherwise bare, and the color scheme is austere — with the exception of the bright teal seats.
    Esther Mobley, San Francisco Chronicle, 9 Jan. 2018
  • The interior of the house reveals the hallmarks of his own austere style.
    Sarah Medford, WSJ, 9 Mar. 2022
  • There’s even a rumor that the idea was floated to paint The Reef a pale yellow to appear less austere.
    Steven Stolman, House Beautiful, 6 Mar. 2019
  • The food is beautiful and simple, the rooms are quiet and austere.
    Marshall Heyman, WSJ, 26 Apr. 2018
  • The sauce has an austere beefiness to it, with a sharp bitter bite and plenty of chile heat.
    Jenn Harris, Los Angeles Times, 20 Nov. 2023
  • This marabou clutch, in the color of a creamsicle, demands a good time when paired with austere black.
    Rebecca Ramsey, The Cut, 11 Jan. 2018
  • As the years went on, the culture folded in on itself, and even an austere presence like Beck’s could not avoid it.
    Bill Wyman, Vulture, 13 Jan. 2023
  • If all of that sounds like a drag, obligatory and austere, don’t worry.
    Christina Tkacik, baltimoresun.com, 4 Dec. 2019
  • Compared with the lively makeshift atelier upstairs, the space was hushed and austere.
    Rachel Syme, The New Yorker, 18 Sep. 2023
  • That trade-off means dealmakers will earn more in boom years and take a harder hit in austere times.
    Dawn Lim, Fortune, 12 Feb. 2024
  • And aesthetically, the austere designs are the order of the day.
    Jessica Matlin, Harper's BAZAAR, 24 Sep. 2021
  • The library's austere exterior was built with walls 8 feet thick at the base.
    Natalina Lopez, Town & Country, 1 July 2016

Some of these examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'austere.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Last Updated: