seriousness

[seer-ee-uhs-nis]

noun

1. earnest or sincere character or attitude.

   The proposal was talked about, but I can't say with how much seriousness it was discussed.

2. solemn or somber character or attitude.

   Is that why your face is so grim—you're fighting to maintain seriousness and not laugh at the speaker’s name?

3. the quality of showing or requiring deep thought or concentration.

   The two chefs approach their gourmet cuisine with the pensive seriousness others might bring to a difficult math problem.

4. the quality of being important or weighty, or of giving cause for concern.

   We need educational tools that convey the seriousness of copyright infringement, as well as its consequences and penalties.

Other Word Forms

• half-seriousness noun
• nonseriousness noun
• overseriousness noun
• superseriousness noun
• ultraseriousness noun
• unseriousness noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of seriousness¹

serious ( def. ) + -ness ( def. )

Example Sentences

As he lodged an appeal, Sarkozy is still considered innocent but he has been told he must go to jail in view of the "exceptional seriousness of the facts".

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On 4 September, Ms Brindley wrote to the regulator again, expressing "grave concerns about the lack of seriousness by which the GMC appears to be treating this matter".

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The Conservative position now is, implicitly, that ministers should have tried to make the latter two witness statements as strong as possible because of the seriousness of the allegations.

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"We realise this made it less useful/enjoyable to many users who had no mental health problems, but given the seriousness of the issue we wanted to get this right," Mr Altman said.

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"The seriousness of this latest attack lies in the fact that it comes after the ceasefire agreement in Gaza."

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Related Words

• enormity 
• gravity 
• importance 
• significance 
• urgency