serious (ˈsɪərɪəs
)
Definitions
adjective
- grave in nature or disposition; thoughtful ⇒
a serious person
- marked by deep feeling; in earnest; sincere ⇒
is he serious or joking?
- concerned with important matters ⇒
a serious conversation
- requiring effort or concentration ⇒
a serious book
- giving rise to fear or anxiety; critical ⇒
a serious illness
- informal worthy of regard because of substantial quantity or quality ⇒
serious money
serious wine
- informal extreme or remarkable ⇒
a serious haircut
Alternative Forms
ˈseriousness nounWord Origin
C15: from Late Latin sēriōsus, from Latin sērius; probably related to Old English swǣr gloomy, Gothic swers esteemedSynonyms
View thesaurus entry=
important,
crucial,
urgent,
pressing,
difficult,
worrying,
deep,
significant,
grim,
far-reaching,
momentous,
fateful,
weighty,
no laughing matter of moment or consequence
=
deep,
cultured,
intellectual,
literary,
sophisticated,
scholarly,
heavyweight,
highbrow,
highbrowed
=
solemn,
earnest,
grave,
stern,
sober,
thoughtful,
sedate,
glum,
staid,
humourless,
long-faced,
pensive,
unsmiling,
Translations
- British English:
serious
Serious problems or situations are very bad and cause people to be worried or afraid.Crime is an increasingly serious problem in this area.ˈsɪərɪəs ADJECTIVE Crime is an increasingly serious problem in this area.
- Spanish:
serio
adj seria
- French:
sérieux
adj sérieuse
- German:
ernst
adj
- Chinese: 严重的 adj
- Arabic: جِدِّيّ adj
- Portuguese: sério adj séria
- Russian: серьезный adj серьезная
- Croatian: ozbiljan adj ozbiljna
- Czech: vážný adj
- Danish: alvorlig adj
- Dutch: serieus adj
- Finnish: vakava adj
- Greek: σοβαρός adj σοβαρή
- Italian: serio adj seria
- Japanese: 深刻な no_posp
- Korean: 심각한 adj
- Norwegian: alvorlig adj
- Polish: poważny adj poważna
- Brazilian Portuguese: sério adj séria
- European Spanish:
serio
adj seria
- Swedish: allvarlig adj allvarligt
- Thai: เคร่งขรึม adj
- Turkish: ciddi adj
- Vietnamese: nghiêm trọng adj
Usage examples
It was time for the two of them to have a very serious talk about what was going on.
, LIRAEL: DAUGHTER OF THE CLAYR (2001)We should start planning ahead to ensure we can meet the challenges of decades to come or face serious damage to trade.
Country Life (2004)He is serious in exploring the sacred, to this end installing a Lambretta in Limerick's cathedral.
Irish Times (2002)The association claims there are serious financial penalties arising from siting the plant on the coast.
Glasgow Herald (2001)The belief that schizophrenia is an illness with a physical cause has had some serious consequences.
, BEYOND FEAR (2002)