sternness

stern +‎ -ness

sternness (countable and uncountable, plural sternnesses)

1. (uncountable) The state or quality of being stern.
   • 2012, July 15. Richard Williams in Guardian Unlimited, Tour de France 2012: Carpet tacks cannot force Bradley Wiggins off track

     There was the sternness of an old-fashioned Tour patron in his rebuke to the young Frenchman Pierre Rolland, the only one to ride away from the peloton and seize the opportunity for a lone attack before being absorbed back into the bunch, where he was received with coolness.

2. (countable) The result or product of being stern.