gravitas
Americannoun
noun
Etymology
Origin of gravitas
First recorded in 1920–25; from Latin gravitās; see gravity
Explanation
Gravitas is seriousness and dignity. You might try to speak with gravitas, but no one will take you seriously if you're wearing clown makeup and giant floppy shoes. Gravitas is a Latin word that means "weight or heaviness." It came to mean a figurative weight after gravity acquired a primarily scientific meaning. A biography of Abraham Lincoln will inevitably be full of gravitas, and places like libraries, museums, and university buildings seem to have gravitas, or dignity — while grocery stores and gyms usually do not.
Vocabulary lists containing gravitas
Olympics Vocabulary for Champions
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Good Grief!: Grav, Griev
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Foreign Words and Phrases Commonly Used in English, List 2
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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.
Warsh is likely to face pushback to this approach, as he comes into his first testimony having none of the gravitas of Volcker or Greenspan, Spindel said.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 11, 2026
Matt Roush acknowledges that “The gravitas of ‘Task’ and ‘The Testaments’ should help their chances, though I’m wistfully rooting for the thrilling ‘Alien: Earth.’
From Los Angeles Times ● May 21, 2026
It is hoped Alonso will have the personality, gravitas from his playing career and tactical acumen to bring the club back to the standards it expects by qualifying for the Champions League and winning trophies.
From BBC ● May 16, 2026
If things take a turn for the worse, it is doubtful he has the wisdom and gravitas to handle it.
From Salon ● Mar. 6, 2026
Barack had a life in Washington now, operating with some of the gravitas that came with being a senator, but I was still me, living my same normal life.
From "Becoming" by Michelle Obama
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.
