Synonyms:

austere,inflexible,rigorous,uncompromising,
hard,morose,stern,unmitigated,
harsh,relentless,stiff,unrelenting,
inexorable,rigid,strict,unyielding.

That is severe which is devoid of all softness, mildness, tenderness, indulgence or levity, or (in literature and art) devoid of unnecessary ornament, amplification, or embellishment of any kind; as, a severe style; as said of anything painful, severe signifies such as heavily taxes endurance or resisting power; as, a severe pain, fever, or winter. Rigid signifies primarily stiff, resisting any effort to change its shape; a corpse is said to be rigid in death; hence, in metaphorical sense, a rigid person or character is one that resists all efforts to change the will or course of conduct; a rigid rule or statement is one that admits of no deviation. Rigorous is nearly akin to rigid, but is a stronger word, having reference to action or active qualities, as rigid does to state or character; a rigid rule may be rigorously enforced. Strict (L. stringo, bind) signifies bound or stretched tight, tense, strenuously exact. Stern unites harshness and authority with strictness or severity; stern, as said even of inanimate objects, suggests something authoritative or forbidding. Austere signifies severely simple or temperate, strict in self-restraint or discipline, and similarly unrelenting toward others. We speak of austere morality, rigid rules, rigorous discipline, stern commands, severe punishment, harsh speech or a harsh voice, hard requirements, strict injunctions, and strict obedience. Strict discipline holds one exactly and unflinchingly to the rule; rigorous discipline punishes severely any infraction of it. The austere character is seldom lovely, but it is always strong and may be grand, commanding, and estimable.

Antonyms:

affable,easy,gentle,lenient,pliable,sweet,tractable,
bland,genial,indulgent,mild,soft,tender,yielding.

[330]

SHAKE.

Synonyms:

agitate,jar,quake,shiver,totter,
brandish,joggle,quaver,shudder,tremble,
flap,jolt,quiver,sway,vibrate,
fluctuate,jounce,reel,swing,wave,
flutter,oscillate,rock,thrill,waver.