embellishment of any kind; as, a _severe_
style; as said of anything painful, _severe_ signifies such as heavily
taxes endurance or resisting power; as, a _severe_ pain, fever, or
winter. _Rigid_ signifies primarily _stiff_, resisting any effort to
change its shape; a corpse is said to be _rigid_ in death; hence, in
metaphorical sense, a _rigid_ person or character is one that resists
all efforts to change the will or course of conduct; a _rigid_ rule or
statement is one that admits of no deviation. _Rigorous_ is nearly akin
to _rigid_, but is a stronger word, having reference to action or active
qualities, as _rigid_ does to state or character; a _rigid_ rule may be
_rigorously_ enforced. _Strict_ (L. _stringo_, bind) signifies bound or
stretched tight, tense, strenuously exact. _Stern_ unites harshness and
authority with strictness or severity; _stern_, as said even of
inanimate objects, suggests something authoritative or forbidding.
_Austere_ signifies severely simple or temperate, _strict_ in
self-restraint or discipline, and similarly _unrelenting_ toward others.
We speak of _austere_ morality, _rigid_ rules, _rigorous_ discipline,
_stern_ commands, _severe_ punishment, _harsh_ speech or a _harsh_
voice, _hard_ requirements, _strict_ injunctions, and _strict_
obedience. _Strict_ discipline holds one exactly and unflinchingly to
the rule; _rigorous_ discipline punishes severely any infraction of it.
The _austere_ character is seldom lovely, but it is always strong and
may be grand, commanding, and estimable.

Antonyms:

affable, easy, gentle, lenient, pliable, sweet, tractable,
bland, genial, indulgent, mild, soft, tender, yielding.

* * * * *

SHAKE.

Synonyms:

agitate, jar, quake, shiver, totter,
brandish, joggle, quaver, shudder, tremble,
flap, jolt, quiver, sway, vibrate,
fluctuate, jounce, reel, swing, wave,
flutter, oscillate, rock, thrill, waver.

A thing is _shaken_ which is subjected to short and abruptly checked
movements, as forward and backward, up and down, from side to side, etc.
A tree is "_shaken_ with a mighty wind;" a man slowly _shakes_ his head.
A thing _rocks_ that is sustained from below; it _swings_ if suspended
from above, as a pendulum, or pivoted at the side, as a crane or a
bridge-draw; to _oscillate_ is to _swing_ with a smooth and regular
returning m