serious

[ seer-ee-uhs ]

/ ˈsɪər i əs /

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

serin, serine, seringa, seringapatam, seriocomic, serious, serious-minded, seriously, seriousness, seriplane, serjeant

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

/ (ˈsɪərɪəs) /

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 (1 of 2)

seriousness

1520s, from serious + -ness.

Word Origin and History for seriousness (1 of 2)

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.

serious

adjective

noun

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RELATED WORDS

Nearby words

Origin of serious

Examples from the Web for seriousness

British Dictionary definitions for seriousness

serious

adjective

Word Origin for serious

Word Origin and History for seriousness (1 of 2)

seriousness

Word Origin and History for seriousness (1 of 2)

serious

Medicine definitions for seriousness

serious

adj.