What is the difference between severe and severed?

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What is the difference between severe and severed?

The words โ€˜severโ€™ and โ€˜severeโ€™ vary in meaning but also how we can use them in sentences. Letโ€™s look at them separately and see how we can use the two words correctly.

The word severe is used as an adjective, we use it to describe nouns. โ€˜Severeโ€™ can have two different meanings, it can describe the stern and harsh punishment of a person. The adjective can also describe something that is serious and very bad.

Here are some examples:

  • The murder victimโ€™s family believed that the prison sentence of the convicted murderer wasnโ€™t severe enough, they feel that the judge was too lenient on the murderer.
  • The young man discovered he had a severe shellfish allergy when he went to a seafood restaurant and ate crab for the first time. The allergy was so severe that the man had to be rushed to hospital.

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โ€˜Severedโ€™ on the other hand, can be used as an adjective to describe something that has been separated from its original place.

For example:

  • After weeks of searching for the missing woman, the search team found a severed hand in the nearby forest that was later identified to be hers.
  • The severed rope was being used to hold the logs of wood together until it snapped, they had to tie the logs together again with a new, sturdier rope.

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โ€˜Severedโ€™ can also be used as the past tense and past participle of the verb โ€˜severโ€™, this verb can also have a few different meanings. To sever something can mean to divide something or cut something into separate parts.

For example:

  • The carpenter severed his left hand when working on a wooden dining table. Luckily, heโ€™s managed to get used to the loss and can still create beautiful pieces with just his right hand.
  • โ€œDuring last nightโ€™s storm, the strong winds caused a lot of damage to property, it even severed a crane in two!โ€ the weather forecaster told her audience.

We can use โ€˜severโ€™ when talking about relationships either in business or personal relationships. To sever a relationship means to end or break the relationship

For example:

  • The multinational company had to sever ties with one of their main sponsors after it was revealed that they had been mistreating their employees for years.
  • After years of emotional and physical abuse the woman suffered from her own family, she finally severed the relationship. She couldnโ€™t be part of the family any longer.
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