in a serious way that often shows that you do not approve of somebody/something; in a way that shows you expect somebody to obey you ‘This’, she said sternly, ‘is what we believe.’ 她严厉地说，“这就是我们的信念。” a sternly worded letter 严厉措辞的信
Oxford Collocations DictionarySternly is used with these verbs:- reply
- reprimand
- say
- …
in a serious and difficult way 严峻的；难对付的 They were sternly tested by the opposing team. 他们遭到了对方球队的严厉考验。