austere
adjective
1. severely simple
Similar word(s): plain, severe, stark, stern
2. of a stern or strict bearing or demeanor; forbidding in aspect
- an austere expression
Similar word(s): nonindulgent, strict, stern
3. practicing great self-denial
- a desert nomad's austere life
Similar word(s): abstemious, ascetic, ascetical, spartan
Sentences with austere as an adjective:
- The headmistress was an austere old woman.
- The interior of the church was as austere as the parishioners were dour.