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half-serious

British  

adjective

  1. not entirely serious

"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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As the unfiltered Linda, Ms. Gangel might almost have been cast for her Hepburnesque, chisel-sharp cheekbones, but she brings wry humor to Linda’s half-serious, or mostly serious, critiques of the Seton ethos.

From The Wall Street Journal Feb. 19, 2026

And so, while the idea for the event started with a half-serious tweet earlier this year, it quickly won the backing of seven universities across Australia and New Zealand.

From BBC Sep. 21, 2023

But it has inspired the kind of feverish, half-serious, half-joking discourse online that no marketing can buy, with memes, jokes, bets and Highlander references galore every time either film drops a new advertisement.

From Seattle Times Apr. 27, 2023

His early talk on tariffs was so combative that Senator Ben Sasse, Republican of Nebraska, said at the time, “If he’s even half-serious, this is nuts.”

From New York Times May 22, 2018

It got to the point that Trapper, half- joking, half-serious, posted updates on Crow outside the trainer’s office.

From "Friday Night Lights: A Town, A Team, And A Dream" by H.G. Bissinger

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