austere
This term conveys a sense of starkness and intentional deprivation. When applied to a person, it suggests a disciplined, almost cold rigidity that rejects pleasure or ornamentation. It is often associated with moral or religious conviction, where simplicity is viewed as a virtue rather than a lack of means.
In economic or environmental contexts, the word shifts toward a feeling of hardship and bleakness. An austere budget is not merely frugal but painfully restrictive, while an austere landscape feels indifferent or hostile to human comfort due to its emptiness.
Meanings
Living or behaving without luxuries or comforts, often for religious or moral reasons.
He led an austere life in a small mountain cabin.
Having a plain and unadorned appearance; lacking decoration or embellishment.
The interior of the chapel was austere and cold.