seriousness

American  

[seer-ee-uhs-nis] / ˈsɪər i əs nɪs /

noun

1. earnest or sincere character or attitude.

   The proposal was talked about, but I can't say with how much seriousness it was discussed.

2. solemn or somber character or attitude.

   Is that why your face is so grim—you're fighting to maintain seriousness and not laugh at the speaker’s name?

3. the quality of showing or requiring deep thought or concentration.

   The two chefs approach their gourmet cuisine with the pensive seriousness others might bring to a difficult math problem.

4. the quality of being important or weighty, or of giving cause for concern.

   We need educational tools that convey the seriousness of copyright infringement, as well as its consequences and penalties.

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Other Word Forms

• half-seriousness noun
• nonseriousness noun
• overseriousness noun
• superseriousness noun
• ultraseriousness noun
• unseriousness noun

Etymology

Origin of seriousness

serious ( def. ) + -ness ( def. )

Example Sentences

The star of ABC’s swinging and silly 1960s “Batman” series – which celebrated its 60th anniversary earlier this month – played the Caped Crusader with deadly seriousness.

From Salon

And there were incidents in Singapore and Austin where their cars touched - with varying seriousness - which also required managing.

From BBC

As the owner of Fat Wreck Chords, the label that put out most of NOFX’s material, as well as albums by scores of other bands, a lack of seriousness was a luxury he couldn’t afford.

From Los Angeles Times

He told Reid he wanted to honor the book with the seriousness it deserves.

From Los Angeles Times

"The seriousness of the facts found proven and associated ongoing risk to public protection mean the effect of Dr Munaf continuing to hold registration would undermine public confidence in the profession," she said.

From BBC

Related Words

• enormity
• gravity
• importance
• significance
• urgency