Qualities
Synonyms for stern
Synonyms for stern: strict, austere and inexorable. Every one of them is a hand audited pair from the Synonym Stack word bank, shown below in the sense it fits, in a real sentence, and beside the words that only look close.
The 3 synonyms for stern
Interchangeable with stern, one per sense
Audited under stern's own entry, so the meaning quoted is the one stern carries in that sense.
Recorded from the other side of the pair
These entries were written under the other word and name stern as the true synonym, so the sense quoted is theirs.
- inexorableinexorable is an adjective in the sense "not to be placated or appeased or moved by entreaty"
Two directions, one standard: two audited under stern and one under the partner word. Nothing here was expanded out of a thesaurus.
severe and unremitting in making demands
A stern disciplinarian.
The true synonym
strict
Same sentence, swapped: A strict disciplinarian.
Close but different
The game offers these three alongside the answer. They are close enough to tempt and wrong enough to be wrong, which is the whole design.
- stark
- stiff
- rear
of a stern or strict bearing or demeanor
A stern face.
The true synonym
austere
Same sentence, swapped: A austere face.
Close but different
Wrong tiles, chosen to be tempting rather than absurd. The reason line above takes the nearest one apart; the rest fail the same sentence for their own reasons.
- relentless
- stiff
- rear
Where stern turns up in the game
stern is the word under test in two puzzles, spread across two difficulty tiers. It also sits on the board as one of the three wrong tiles in four other puzzles, where the answer is a different word entirely.
The puzzles where stern is the trap
- genialadjective, Tier 2, Treeline. The answer there is amiable, in the sense "friendly, warm, and cheerful in manner", and stern is on the board beside it.
- grimadjective, Tier 2, Treeline. The answer there is black, in the sense "harshly ironic or sinister", so stern is there to be ruled out.
- openhandedadjective, Tier 2, Treeline. The answer there is generous, in the sense "generous in giving", and stern is on the board beside it.
- avuncularadjective, Tier 4, High Camp. The answer there is grandfatherly, in the sense "kind, tolerant, and friendly toward a younger person, in the manner of a favorite uncle", so stern is there to be ruled out.
Play stern
The bank on this page is the bank the game plays from, so stern reaches you as a board rather than a definition: the sentence first, four tiles, and the meaning after you choose.
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Neighbours by theme before neighbours by difficulty, because qualities is the company stern keeps.
The wrong tile gets explained too
Synonym Stack plays from this exact bank. stern carries 1 written reason line, and the game shows them the moment a round ends, whichever tile you tapped.