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gravitas

American  
[grav-i-tahs, ‑-tas] / ˈgræv ɪˌtɑs, ‑ˌtæs /

noun

  1. seriousness or sobriety, as of conduct or speech.

gravitas British  
/ ˈɡrævɪˌtæs /

noun

  1. seriousness, solemnity, or importance

"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

Etymology

Origin of gravitas

First recorded in 1920–25; from Latin gravitās; gravity

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Far from an indignity, I thought it lent a certain gravitas otherwise absent from my banal demeanor.

From The Wall Street Journal

The poignancy of “Stand by Me,” the authenticity and gravitas he invested in this story of youth, makes it a personal triumph — his funny father couldn’t, and wouldn’t, have directed anything like it.

From Los Angeles Times

He is well-known for speaking candidly in ways that CEOs with less gravitas wouldn’t.

From Barron's

He has so much gravitas that each tiny adjustment of his expressions is riveting.

From The Wall Street Journal

Occasionally, a long-lost sense of gravity will emerge for a sweeping moment of gravitas.

From Salon

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.