serious

[seer-ee-uhs]

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR serious ON THESAURUS.COM

adjective

of, showing, or characterized by deep thought.

of grave or somber disposition, character, or manner: a serious occasion; a serious man.

being in earnest; sincere; not trifling: His interest was serious.

requiring thought, concentration, or application: serious reading; a serious task.

weighty or important: a serious book; Marriage is a serious matter.

giving cause for apprehension; critical: The plan has one serious flaw.

Medicine/Medical. (of a patient's condition) having unstable or otherwise abnormal vital signs and other unfavorable indicators, as loss of appetite and poor mobility: patient is acutely ill.

noun

that which is of importance, grave, critical, or somber: You have to learn to separate the serious from the frivolous.

Nearby words

Origin of serious

1400–50; late Middle English < Latin sērius or Late Latin sēriōsus; see -ous, -ose¹

SYNONYMS FOR serious

2. sober, sedate, staid. 3. See earnest¹. 5. momentous, grave.

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR serious ON THESAURUS.COM

ANTONYMS FOR serious

3, 5. trivial.

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Related forms

se·ri·ous·ness, nounhalf-se·ri·ous, adjectivehalf-se·ri·ous·ly, adverbhalf-se·ri·ous·ness, noun

non·se·ri·ous, adjectivenon·se·ri·ous·ly, adverbnon·se·ri·ous·ness, nouno·ver·se·ri·ous, adjectiveo·ver·se·ri·ous·ly, adverbo·ver·se·ri·ous·ness, nounqua·si-se·ri·ous, adjectivequa·si-se·ri·ous·ly, adverbsu·per·se·ri·ous, adjectivesu·per·se·ri·ous·ly, adverbsu·per·se·ri·ous·ness, nounul·tra·se·ri·ous, adjectiveul·tra·se·ri·ous·ly, adverbul·tra·se·ri·ous·ness, nounun·se·ri·ous, adjectiveun·se·ri·ous·ly, adverbun·se·ri·ous·ness, noun

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for seriousness

If nothing else, the sheer size of the “religious liberty” movement indicates its seriousness of purpose.
RFRA Madness: What’s Next for Anti-Democratic ‘Religious Exemptions’|Jay Michaelson|November 16, 2014|DAILY BEAST
But “he was so shocked by the disorganization and lack of seriousness that he submitted his papers to retire.”
The CIA’s Wrong: Arming Rebels Works|Christopher Dickey|October 19, 2014|DAILY BEAST
It takes the seriousness out of dating and makes casual sex easier to find.
Swipe Right For Sex: Mixxxer Is Tinder for the Porn Star Set|Aurora Snow|October 4, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Anyone who had any doubts about his seriousness soon lost them because it was clear that Peter was hardcore.
ISIS Thugs Behead Peter Kassig|Nick Schwellenbach|October 4, 2014|DAILY BEAST

How from now on we were going to be seeing in Prince Harry nothing but a model of discretion, seriousness and best behaviour?
Prince Harry Parties TOPLESS|Tom Sykes|July 28, 2014|DAILY BEAST
He sat by the duchess, and spoke to her in a low voice, and with seriousness.
Lothair|Benjamin Disraeli
Carrie looked at him a moment with the faintest touch of surprise at his seriousness.
Sister Carrie|Theodore Dreiser
The elevation and delicacy, the sense and seriousness, the beauty and perfection of the whole are astonishing.
Amiel's Journal|Henri-Frdric Amiel
Realizing the seriousness with which Berwick regarded the question, he feared lest he had hurt the feelings of his guest.
The Great Gold Rush|W. H. P. (William Henry Pope) Jarvis
We may rightfully be reproached also with a somewhat Attic lightness, a lack of perseverance and of seriousness.
The Non-religion of the Future: A Sociological Study|Jean-Marie Guyau

British Dictionary definitions for seriousness

serious

adjective

grave in nature or disposition; thoughtfula serious person

marked by deep feeling; in earnest; sincereis he serious or joking?

concerned with important mattersa serious conversation

requiring effort or concentrationa serious book

giving rise to fear or anxiety; criticala serious illness

informal worthy of regard because of substantial quantity or qualityserious money; serious wine

informal extreme or remarkablea serious haircut

Derived Formsseriousness, noun

Word Origin for serious

C15: from Late Latin sēriōsus, from Latin sērius; probably related to Old English swǣr gloomy, Gothic swers esteemed

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

Word Origin and History for seriousness

seriousness

1520s, from serious + -ness.

serious

adj.

mid-15c., "expressing earnest purpose or thought" (of persons), from Middle French sérieux "grave, earnest" (14c.), from Late Latin seriosus, from Latin serius "weighty, important, grave," probably from a PIE root *swer- (4) "heavy" (cf. Lithuanian sveriu "to weigh, lift," svarus "heavy;" Old English swære "heavy," German schwer "heavy," Gothic swers "honored, esteemed," literally "weighty"). As opposite of jesting, from 1712; as opposite of light (of music, theater, etc.), from 1762. Meaning "attended with danger" is from 1800.

Medicine definitions for seriousness

serious

[sîr′ē-əs]

adj.

Being of such import as to cause anxiety, as of a physical condition.

serious

adjective

noun

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Nearby words

Origin of serious

Examples from the Web for seriousness

serious

adjective

Word Origin for serious

seriousness

serious

serious

adj.