Adjacent Words

Serious definitions

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Webster's 1828 Dictionary

SE'RIOUS, a. [L. serius.]
1. Grave in manner or disposition; solemn; not light, gay or volatile; as a serious man; a serious habit or disposition.
2. Really intending what is said; being in earnest; not jesting or making false pretense. Are you serious, or in jest?
3. Important; weighty; not trijling.
The holy Sciptures bring to your ears the most serious things in the world. Young.
4. Particularlyattentive to religioul concerns or one's own religious state.

WordNet (r) 3.0 (2005)

adj
1: concerned with work or important matters rather than play or trivialities; "a serious student of history"; "a serious attempt to learn to ski"; "gave me a serious look"; "a serious young man"; "are you serious or joking?"; "Don't be so serious!" [ant: frivolous]
2: of great consequence; "marriage is a serious matter"
3: causing fear or anxiety by threatening great harm; "a dangerous operation"; "a grave situation"; "a grave illness"; "grievous bodily harm"; "a serious wound"; "a serious turn of events"; "a severe case of pneumonia"; "a life-threatening disease" [syn: dangerous, grave, grievous, serious, severe, life-threatening]
4: appealing to the mind; "good music"; "a serious book" [syn: good, serious]
5: completely lacking in playfulness [syn: unplayful, serious, sober] [ant: playful]
6: requiring effort or concentration; complex and not easy to answer or solve; "raised serious objections to the proposal"; "the plan has a serious flaw"

Merriam Webster's

adjective Etymology: Middle English seryows, from Anglo-French or Late Latin; Anglo-French serious, from Late Latin seriosus, alteration of Latin serius weighty, serious; probably akin to Old English sw?r heavy, sad Date: 15th century 1. thoughtful or subdued in appearance or manner ; sober <a quiet, serious girl> 2. a. requiring much thought or work <serious study> b. of or relating to a matter of importance <a serious play> 3. a. not joking or trifling ; being in earnest <a serious question> b. archaic pious c. deeply interested ; devoted <a serious musician> 4. a. not easily answered or solved <serious objections> b. having important or dangerous possible consequences <a serious injury> 5. excessive or impressive in quality, quantity, extent, or degree <serious stereo equipment> <making serious money> <serious drinking> • seriousness noun Synonyms: serious, grave, solemn, sedate, staid, sober, earnest mean not light or frivolous. serious implies a concern for what really matters <a serious play about social injustice>. grave implies both seriousness and dignity in expression or attitude <read the proclamation in a grave voice>. solemn suggests an impressive gravity utterly free from levity <a sad and solemn occasion>. sedate implies a composed and decorous seriousness <remained sedate amid the commotion>. staid suggests a settled, accustomed sedateness and prim self-restraint <a quiet and staid community>. sober stresses seriousness of purpose and absence of levity or frivolity <a sober look at the state of our schools>. earnest suggests sincerity or often zealousness of purpose <an earnest reformer>.

Oxford Reference Dictionary

adj. 1 thoughtful, earnest, sober, sedate, responsible, not reckless or given to trifling (has a serious air; a serious young person). 2 important, demanding consideration (this is a serious matter). 3 not slight or negligible (a serious injury; a serious offence). 4 sincere, in earnest, not ironical or joking (are you serious?). 5 (of music and literature) not merely for amusement (opp. LIGHT(2) 5a). 6 not perfunctory (serious thought). 7 not to be trifled with (a serious opponent). 8 concerned with religion or ethics (serious subjects). Derivatives: seriousness n. Etymology: ME f. OF serieux or LL seriosus f. L serius

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Serious Se"ri*ous, a. [L. serius: cf. F. s['e]rieux, LL. seriosus.] 1. Grave in manner or disposition; earnest; thoughtful; solemn; not light, gay, or volatile. He is always serious, yet there is about his manner a graceful ease. --Macaulay. 2. Really intending what is said; being in earnest; not jesting or deceiving. --Beaconsfield. 3. Important; weighty; not trifling; grave. The holy Scriptures bring to our ears the most serious things in the world. --Young. 4. Hence, giving rise to apprehension; attended with danger; as, a serious injury. Syn: Grave; solemn; earnest; sedate; important; weighty. See Grave. -- Se"ri*ous*ly, adv. -- Se"ri*ous*ness, n.

Collin's Cobuild Dictionary

Frequency: The word is one of the 700 most common words in English. 1. Serious problems or situations are very bad and cause people to be worried or afraid. Crime is an increasingly serious problem in Russian society... The government still face very serious difficulties... Doctors said his condition was serious but stable. ADJ • seriously If this ban was to come in it would seriously damage my business... They are not thought to be seriously hurt. ADV: ADV adj/adv, ADV with v • seriousness ...the seriousness of the crisis. N-UNCOUNT: oft N of n 2. Serious matters are important and deserve careful and thoughtful consideration. I regard this as a serious matter... Don't laugh boy. This is serious. ADJ 3. When important matters are dealt with in a serious way, they are given careful and thoughtful consideration. My parents never really faced up to my drug use in any serious way... It was a question which deserved serious consideration. ADJ: usu ADJ n • seriously The management will have to think seriously about their positions. ADV: ADV with v 4. Serious music or literature requires concentration to understand or appreciate it. There is no point reviewing a blockbuster as you might review a serious novel. ADJ: ADJ n 5. If someone is serious about something, they are sincere about what they are saying, doing, or intending to do. You really are serious about this, aren't you?... I hope you're not serious. ADJ: oft ADJ about n • seriously Are you seriously jealous of Erica? ADV: ADV adj/adv, ADV with v • seriousness In all seriousness, there is nothing else I can do... N-UNCOUNT: oft N of n 6. Serious people are thoughtful and quiet, and do not laugh very often. He's quite a serious person... ADJ • seriously They spoke to me very seriously but politely. ADV: ADV with v

Soule's Dictionary of English Synonyms

a. 1. Grave, solemn, sedate, staid, sober, earnest, demure. 2. Important, weighty, great, momentous, grave. 3. In earnest. 4. Dangerous.

Moby Thesaurus

abandoned, acute, afire, alarming, ardent, arduous, austere, awe-inspiring, bad, bound, bound and determined, burning, businesslike, cogitative, cognitive, committed, comprehensive, concentrating, concentrative, conceptive, conceptual, conceptualized, consequential, considerable, contemplating, contemplative, critical, crucial, dangerous, dangersome, decided, decisive, decorous, dedicated, deep, definite, deliberating, deliberative, demure, determined, devoted, devout, difficult, dignified, dour, earnest, elevated, excogitating, exhaustive, explosive, faithful, fatal, fateful, fell, fervent, fervid, fiery, flaming, formal, formidable, fraught with danger, frowning, full, genuine, grand, grave, great, grievous, grim, grim-faced, grim-visaged, hearty, heated, heavy, honest, hot, hot-blooded, humorless, ideative, impassioned, important, imposing, in earnest, inspiring, intense, intent, intent on, introspective, irresistible, jeopardous, laborious, life-and-death, life-or-death, lofty, long-faced, loyal, main, majestic, major, maximum, meditating, meditative, menacing, mental, mighty, moderate, momentous, moving, museful, musing, nasty, no joke, no laughing matter, no-nonsense, noble, noetic, obstinate, on fire, operose, parlous, passionate, pensive, perfervid, periculous, perilous, persevering, persistent, plenary, poker-faced, pondering, portentous, powerful, precarious, prehensive, pressing, purposeful, red-hot, reflecting, reflective, relentless, resolute, resolved, ruminant, ruminating, ruminative, sedate, serious-minded, severe, significant, sincere, single-minded, sober, sober-minded, sobersided, solemn, somber, speculative, spirited, staid, stately, steady, stern, stone-faced, straight-faced, straightforward, strenuous, strong, sublime, temperate, tenacious, thinking, thought, thoughtful, threatening, total, tough, ugly, unamusing, unfunny, unsmiling, urgent, vehement, vital, warm, weighty, white-hot, wholehearted, wistful, zealous