austere vs severe

austere and severe both are adjectives.

Word	Noun	Adjective	Verb	Adverb
austere	No	Yes	No	No
severe	No	Yes	No	No

As adjectives, austere and severe are synonyms defined as:

Other synonyms of austere include stark, stern.

austere (adjective)	severe (adjective)
practicing great self-denial	causing fear or anxiety by threatening great harm
of a stern or strict bearing or demeanor; forbidding in aspect	intensely or extremely bad or unpleasant in degree or quality
severely simple	severely simple
	very strong or vigorous
	very bad in degree or extent
	unsparing and uncompromising in discipline or judgment