stern
adjective uk/stɜːn/ us/stɝːn/
C2 严厉的，苛刻的
severe, or showing disapproval
a stern look/warning/voice 严厉的目光／警告／语气
She is her own sternest critic. 她对自己非常苛刻。
Journalists received a stern warning not to go anywhere near the battleship. 记者们受到严厉警告，不得靠近军舰。
（工作等）严峻的，棘手的
If something, such as a job, is stern, it is difficult.
The country's president is facing the sternest test of his authority since he came to power five years ago. 总统的权威正面临着上任5年以来最严峻的考验。
Idiom
made of sterner stuffidiom 坚强的，坚毅的
If someone is described as being made of sterner stuff, they are very strong and determined.
I was ready to give up the fight, but Nicky was made of sterner stuff and wanted us to finish. 我准备放弃争取了，但是尼基非常坚定，要我们坚持下去。
stern
noun [ C ] uk/stɜːn/ us/stɝːn/
(SHIP)
船尾;艉
the back part of a ship or boat
The Red Ensign, the flag of the British Merchant Navy, is rarely seen these days except on the sterns of a few cruise liners and cross-Channel ferries.
Compare: bow noun (FRONT PART)
- More examples
- He devised the method, used ever since, of attaching an underwater cable to the sterns of the ships, and using tugs to tow them rapidly across calm seas, backwards.
- When the bow began to rise we all cheered, but then we found that the stern had been crushed by the weight of water.
- We reached the tip of Manhattan Island with a Staten Island ferry chasing our stern.
- The 23-year-old skipper said he heard a loud crack from the stern before the boat sank.