austere

aw-STEERadj

Meaning plain and without decoration; also, stern and strict

Memory hook AW, STARE at the bare walls. Visitors to the old judge’s room can only say “Aw...” and stare: one stool, one candle, one plain table and nothing else. His room is austere.

The cabin was austere: a cot, a wooden chair and a single lamp.

In context Unlike his flashy brother, the old judge lived an austere life, eating simple meals, wearing the same gray coat for years and spending almost nothing on himself.

Similar plain, spare, stark, severe

Opposite ornate, opulent, luxurious, lavish

From Latin austerus, from Greek austeros, “harsh, severe.”