austerity

  1. Noun.  Severity of manners or life; extreme rigor or strictness; harsh discipline.
  2. Noun.  Freedom from adornment; plainness; severe simplicity.
  3. Noun.  (economics) A policy of deficit-cutting, lower spending, and a reduction in the amount of benefits and public services provided.
  4. Noun.  (obsolete) Sourness and harshness to the taste.

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This entry was last updated on RefTopia from its source on 3/20/2012.