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Prepositions after adjectives

Severe in, for, of, to or on?

Severe is commonly used with on and with. Other prepositions usually belong to the wider sentence rather than a fixed adjective pattern.

Quick answer

Which prepositions are used with severe?

Use severe on for strict treatment and severe with for symptoms or conditions. Severe to is possible in expressions about treatment toward people. Severe in and severe of are uncommon as fixed combinations.

The judge was severe on repeat offenders.
She has been severe with back pain.
He was too severe to his staff.

Choose the pattern by meaning

These forms are not interchangeable. Choose the construction by meaning, not by which preposition appears most often.

1
severe on + person/group

Strict treatment or criticism

Use severe on when someone treats people or groups strictly.

The school is severe on cheating.
Critics were severe on the new policy.
2
severe with + illness/problem

Strong intensity

Use severe with medical conditions, weather, or problems.

The region was severe with flooding.
She became severe with headaches.
3
severe to + person

Harsh behaviour toward someone

Severe to can describe harsh treatment toward a person, though severe on is more common.

The commander was severe to new recruits.
4
severe in + area

Limited descriptive use

Severe in may appear when in introduces an area or aspect, not as a strong fixed pattern.

The damage was severe in coastal towns.

See the difference in context

The same subject can take different constructions because each sentence answers a different question.

Construction
Example
Meaning
severe on
The editor was severe on weak arguments.
strict or harsh toward someone or something
severe with
The patient is severe with flu symptoms.
strongly affected by a condition
severe to
She was severe to her assistants.
harsh in treatment toward people
severe in
Rainfall was severe in mountain areas.
in introduces location or area rather than a fixed adjective pattern
severe of
That was severe of him.
nonstandard or very rare in current English

Common mistakes

Some combinations appear in real text but do not mean what learners often assume.

Using severe of

Severe is not normally followed by of in modern English.

✕ It was severe of the teacher. ✓ The teacher was severe on the students.

Confusing severe with and severe on

Use severe with for conditions and severe on for treatment or criticism.

✕ The coach was severe with discipline breaches. ✓ The coach was severe on discipline breaches.

Overusing severe to

Severe to is possible but less common than severe on.

✕ The government was severe to tax fraud. ✓ The government was severe on tax fraud.

Quick practice

Choose the expression that matches the intended meaning.

1. The newspaper was severe ___ the mayor.
2. He became severe ___ chest pain.
3. The officer was severe ___ the recruits.

Check your sentence in context

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Frequently asked questions

Is severe on more common than severe to?

Yes. Severe on is generally preferred for strict treatment or criticism.

Can severe with describe illness?

Yes. It is used for strong symptoms or difficult conditions.

Is severe of correct English?

It is generally not used as a standard modern pattern.

sacred-to-in-by-of, for "sad for" or "sad about"? "safe for", "safe from" or "safe in"? sanguine about, in, of, on or for? "satisfactory to" or "satisfactory for"? satisfied with, of, by, in or on? "satisfying for" or "satisfying to"? scarce in, for, at, on or of? scared of, to, about, for or by? "scary for" or "scary to"? "scathing about", "scathing in" or "scathing of"? "sceptical about" or "sceptical of"?

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