“Severally” does not mean “several times”

Estimated reading time: 2 minutes

The word “severally” can be confusing because it looks like it might mean “several times,” but it actually has a different meaning.

Meaning of ‘severally’

Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines “severally” as:

• Separately or individually; one at a time : each by itself.

In the same vein, the Oxford English Dictionary describes “severally” as:

• Separately or individually; each in turn.

How to use ‘severally’ in contexts

To understand how “severally” is used, let us look at a few examples:

1. Legal context:

• “The defendants are severally liable for the damages.” This means each defendant is individually responsible for the damages, not that they are responsible together or several times.

2. Everyday context:

• “The siblings were severally given their inheritance.” This means each sibling got their inheritance separately, not that they received it multiple times.

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Common mistake

It is easy to mistake “severally” for “several times” because they look similar. However, “severally” always refers to things being done separately or individually, while “several times” means something happens many times.

Clarifying with definitions

Let us also look at the definition of “several” and “several times” to see the difference:

Several:

• Merriam-Webster: More than two but not very many.
• Oxford English Dictionary: More than two but not many.

Several times:

• This phrase means more than two times, indicating frequency or repetition.

Examples of ‘several times’

To see the difference, here are examples of “several times”:

1. “She called him several times.” This means she called him more than two times.
2. “He visited the museum several times.” This means he went to the museum on multiple occasions.

In summary, “severally” means separately or individually, while “several times” means many times. They are not interchangeable, and understanding this difference helps avoid confusion in both writing and speaking.

Always remember:

• Severally = Separately or individually.
• Several times = More than two times.