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{%type%} Definitions

WordNet 3.0Copyright Princeton University
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Short "hint"

Firm and not changeable. Also: serious and strict, and showing strong disapproval of someone's behaviour.

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Usage examples (36)
  • Obstacles cannot crush me. Every obstacle yields to stern resolve. He who is fixed to a star does not change his mind.
  • Before she could get any more information from him, Marco walked over to them, his expression stern.
  • “There are few things I would deny you, Daughter, without good reason,” Balm answered, her expression stern.
  • President Obama's promising what he calls a stern response if North Korea launches a missile, as it now threatens.
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The Open Dictionary of English is a collaborative project, based on Open Source materials, LearnThat resources, and partner APIs.
We give special thanks to our LearnThat volunteers, as well as Princeton University and Wiktionary for their Open Source word data. We're also grateful for the support given by Google, Wordnik.com, Dictionary.com, Stands4.com and YouTube, OEDILF.com, Kylescholz.com, Best-Practice.com, Forvo.com, as well as the generous Creative Commons community.