adjective

stern

sturn

adjective

Serious and strict in manner; harsh or severe.

"The teacher gave the boys a stern warning."

"Her stern expression made it clear she wasn't joking."

noun

The rear end of a ship or boat.

"Waves crashed over the stern as the storm picked up."

How to Use Stern

Learner’s notes

In plain EnglishStrict and serious in tone, or (as a noun) the back of a boat.

Common mistake

The stern is the back of a boat; the bow is the front — easy to mix up.

Easily confused with

bow →

Common pairings

stern warning stern look stern of the ship

sterner comparative, sterned past tense, sterns plural, sterns plural, Sterns plural, sterns singular, sternest superlative

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The teacher gave the boys a _____ warning.

From Old English styrne ("severe, strict"), from a Proto-Germanic root meaning "angry" or "shocked."

brutal callous cold cold-eyed cruel dour flint-hearted forbidding frosty grim hard hard-boiled

animated cheerful emotional empathic gregarious kindly lenient soft

would angry cold hot warm hard cruel stiff

ern Bern kern fern CERN Vern govern modern astern tavern cavern intern

brutal callous cold cold-eyed cruel dour flint-hearted forbidding frosty grim hard hard-boiled