solemn
grave, sober, or mirthless, as a person, the face, speech, tone, or mood: solemn remarks.
gravely or somberly impressive; causing serious thoughts or a grave mood: solemn music.
serious or earnest: solemn assurances.
characterized by dignified or serious formality, as proceedings; of a formal or ceremonious character: a solemn occasion.
made in due legal or other express form, as a declaration or agreement: a solemn oath.
marked or observed with religious rites; having a religious character: a solemn holy day.
uttered, prescribed, or made according to religious forms: a solemn ban on sacrifice.
Origin of solemn
1synonym study For solemn
word story For solemn
In English, the extension of solemn from applying to rites, ceremonies, holy days, or oaths to nonreligious actions or feelings arose in the mid-15th century. One imagines early religious rites and ceremonies as being (like modern ones) serious and reverential affairs, and that the individuals performing or participating in them did so with a corresponding grave and serious demeanor. So it is not hard to see how the current sense of "grave, sober, or mirthless" developed: applying first to the people who participated in religious rites, and then losing the connection with the rites themselves.
Other words for solemn
Opposites for solemn
Other words from solemn
- sol·emn·ly, adverb
- sol·emn·ness, noun
- o·ver·sol·emn, adjective
- o·ver·sol·emn·ness, noun
- sem·i·sol·emn, adjective
- sem·i·sol·emn·ness, noun
- su·per·sol·emn, adjective
- su·per·sol·emn·ness, noun
- un·sol·emn, adjective
- un·sol·emn·ness, noun
Words Nearby solemn
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024
How to use solemn in a sentence
This not-so-solemn memento is characteristic of Target Gallery’s 18-artist “A Year In,” a 2020-2021 time capsule curated by Nancy Daly.
In the galleries: Sequence of photographs creates a graphic continuity | Mark Jenkins | August 27, 2021 | Washington PostThe officers were told there would be a ceremony at halftime, Fanone says—a solemn procession of honor and reverence, the sort of thing we do to create heroes in America.
As elected lawmakers, we have a solemn duty and obligation to develop and enact policies that will permanently end the unhoused crisis.
I Lived in My Car and Now I’m in Congress. We Need to Solve America’s Housing Crisis. | Cori Bush | July 30, 2021 | TimeIt was an impromptu, solemn gesture to acknowledge racial inequalities in America.
How do Americans feel about the anthem at sporting events? It depends which Americans you ask. | Michael Lee, Scott Clement, Emily Guskin | May 21, 2021 | Washington PostThere’s an inherent goofiness to dog clothing that could seem disrespectful at solemn events, for instance, or professional workplaces.
They stood in a single row, united by solemn respect as the Liu family remained inside.
Somewhat coyly, Skidmore admits that “Richard was to break this solemn vow in spectacular style.”
Three Dicks: Cheney, Nixon, Richard III and the Art of Reputation Rehab | Clive Irving | July 27, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTThe parade was solemn, with reverent music and the call-and-response singing of two choirs.
The First Americans to Observe the 4th Were Moravian Pacifists | Linda C. Brinson | July 4, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTNo putdowns, no jokes, no frivolity whatever—he was most solemn and his eyes focused somewhere far beyond the back of my head.
What It Was Like to Watch the Beatles Become the Beatles—Nik Cohn Remembers | Nik Cohn | February 9, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTThird, he started writing Indian-style songs, all curry powder and souvenirs from the Taj Mahal, very solemn.
What It Was Like to Watch the Beatles Become the Beatles—Nik Cohn Remembers | Nik Cohn | February 9, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTJoe looked at her with a smile, his face still solemn and serious for all its youth and the fires of new-lit hope behind his eyes.
The Bondboy | George W. (George Washington) OgdenSo he bore down on the solemn declaration that she stood face to face with a prison term for perjury.
The Bondboy | George W. (George Washington) OgdenThey were just about to celebrate tabagie, or a solemn feast, over his last farewell.
Please advise the surrender as soon as possible in order to give due and solemn publicity to the event.
The Philippine Islands | John ForemanThe upraised hand, the potent silence, the solemn gaze of a hundred eyes was too much for the old man to bear.
The Soldier of the Valley | Nelson Lloyd
British Dictionary definitions for solemn
/ (ˈsɒləm) /
characterized or marked by seriousness or sincerity: a solemn vow
characterized by pomp, ceremony, or formality
serious, glum, or pompous
inspiring awe: a solemn occasion
performed with religious ceremony
gloomy or sombre: solemn colours
Origin of solemn
1Derived forms of solemn
- solemnly, adverb
- solemnness or solemness, noun
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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