solemn

[ sol-uhm ]
See synonyms for: solemnsolemnlysolemnness on Thesaurus.com

adjective
  1. grave, sober, or mirthless, as a person, the face, speech, tone, or mood: solemn remarks.

  2. gravely or somberly impressive; causing serious thoughts or a grave mood: solemn music.

  1. serious or earnest: solemn assurances.

  2. characterized by dignified or serious formality, as proceedings; of a formal or ceremonious character: a solemn occasion.

  3. made in due legal or other express form, as a declaration or agreement: a solemn oath.

  4. marked or observed with religious rites; having a religious character: a solemn holy day.

  5. uttered, prescribed, or made according to religious forms: a solemn ban on sacrifice.

Origin of solemn

1
First recorded in 1275–1325; Middle English solem(p)ne, from Old French or directly from Late Latin sōlennis, sōlempnis, Latin sōlemnis, variant of sollemnis “consecrated, holy,” derivative of sollus “whole”

synonym study For solemn

1. See grave2.

word story For solemn

The English solemn ultimately comes from the Latin adjective sollemnis “performed or celebrated according to correct religious forms.” Sollemnis has no secure etymology, but the Romans themselves thought that it came from the adjectives sollus “whole, complete” and a derivative adjective formed from the noun annus “year,” and therefore interpreted sollemnis as meaning “taking place every year, annual.”
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

British Dictionary definitions for solemn

solemn

/ (ˈsɒləm) /


adjective
  1. characterized or marked by seriousness or sincerity: a solemn vow

  2. characterized by pomp, ceremony, or formality

  1. serious, glum, or pompous

  2. inspiring awe: a solemn occasion

  3. performed with religious ceremony

  4. gloomy or sombre: solemn colours

Origin of solemn

1
C14: from Old French solempne, from Latin sōllemnis appointed, perhaps from sollus whole

Derived 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