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# austerity

«austerity» in Mova's school dictionary: **A time when a government cuts spending sharply and people…** — its meaning for a pupil, its sense in the lessons and examples, with 1 sentence of Mova's corpora that use it.

### part of speech

noun (austerity, austerities)

### meaning for a pupil

1) (formal) A time when a government cuts spending sharply and people have less money and fewer services. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/A/austerity/#m1)

2) A plain, simple way of living without comforts or luxury: the austerity of a monk's life. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/A/austerity/#m2)

3) Strictness or seriousness in how someone looks or acts. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/A/austerity/#m3)

### sense in the lessons

Mostly a news, history and economics word: "austerity" describes cuts to public spending; in history it describes rationing years after a war. In stories it describes a plain, bare room or a stern person. Phrases: austerity measures, a time of austerity, live in austerity.

### examples

- The government announced austerity measures to save money. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/A/austerity/#x1)
- During the years of austerity, the library opened only three days a week. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/A/austerity/#x2)
- After the war people lived with austerity and rationing. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/A/austerity/#x3)
- The monks lived a life of austerity, with plain food and no luxuries. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/A/austerity/#x4)
- The bare room had a cold austerity. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/A/austerity/#x5)
- The austerity of her face made the children quiet. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/A/austerity/#x6)

### note

Mostly uncountable. Adjective: austere (plain, strict). Formal word; everyday talk says "cuts" or "tight budget". Say aw-STER-i-tee.

### In the corpora

- ["Austerity measures" means cuts in public spending.](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/euphemisms/24-government-spin/11/)

### Trees and pragmatics

[Every meaning and example of «austerity» parsed by Mova](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/A/austerity/), each sentence with its dependency tree and frames.