serious
Jump to navigation
Jump to search
English[edit]
Etymology[edit]
From Middle English seryows, from Old French serieux, from Medieval Latin sēriōsus, an extension of Latin sērius (“grave, earnest, serious”), from Proto-Indo-European *swer- (“heavy”). Cognate with German schwer (“heavy, difficult, severe”), Old English swǣr (“heavy, grave, grievous”). More at swear, sweer.
Pronunciation[edit]
- (General American) IPA(key): /ˈsɪɚ.i.əs/, /ˈsɪɹ.i.əs/
- (Received Pronunciation) IPA(key): /ˈsɪə.ɹɪ.əs/, /ˈsɪː.ɹɪ.əs/
Audio (US) (file) Audio (UK) (file) - Rhymes: -ɪəɹiəs
- Homophones: cereous, Sirius (one pronunciation)
Adjective[edit]
serious (comparative more serious or seriouser, superlative most serious or seriousest)
- Without humor or expression of happiness; grave in manner or disposition
- Important; weighty; not insignificant
- This is a serious problem. We'll need our best experts.
- Really intending what is said (or planned, etc); in earnest; not jocular or deceiving
- After all these years, we're finally getting serious attention.
- He says he wants to buy the team, but is he serious?
- (of a relationship) Committed.
Synonyms[edit]
- See also Thesaurus:serious
Antonyms[edit]
- (important, weighty): trifling, unimportant
- (intending what is said): jesting
Derived terms[edit]
- srs (abbreviation)
- dead serious
- seriously
- seriousness
- serious-minded
- serious-mindedly
- serious-mindedness
Translations[edit]
without humor or expression of happiness
|
important; weighty; not trifling; leaving no room for play
|
really intending what is said; being in earnest
|
Adverb[edit]
serious (not comparable)
- (colloquial, dialect) In a serious manner; seriously.
- 1957, Ray Lawler, Summer of the Seventeenth Doll, Sydney: Fontana Books, published 1974, page 68:
- The only time I walk out on singin' is when there's muckin' about and youse don't take it serious.
Further reading[edit]
- “serious”, in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: G. & C. Merriam, 1913, →OCLC.
- “serious”, in The Century Dictionary […], New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., 1911, →OCLC.
Categories:
- English terms inherited from Middle English
- English terms derived from Middle English
- English terms derived from Old French
- English terms derived from Medieval Latin
- English terms derived from Latin
- English terms derived from Proto-Indo-European
- English 4-syllable words
- English 3-syllable words
- English terms with IPA pronunciation
- English terms with audio links
- Rhymes:English/ɪəɹiəs
- Rhymes:English/ɪəɹiəs/3 syllables
- English terms with homophones
- English lemmas
- English adjectives
- English terms with usage examples
- English terms with collocations
- English adverbs
- English uncomparable adverbs
- English colloquialisms
- English dialectal terms
- English terms with quotations
- en:Personality