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se⋅ri⋅ous

  [seer-ee-uhs]
Use serious in a Sentence
–adjective
1. of, showing, or characterized by deep thought.
2. of grave or somber disposition, character, or manner: a serious occasion; a serious man.
3. being in earnest; sincere; not trifling: His interest was serious.
4. requiring thought, concentration, or application: serious reading; a serious task.
5. weighty or important: a serious book; Marriage is a serious matter.
6. giving cause for apprehension; critical: The plan has one serious flaw.
7. 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
8. that which is of importance, grave, critical, or somber: You have to learn to separate the serious from the frivolous.
Origin:
1400–50; late ME < L sērius or LL sēriōsus; see -ous, -ose 1

Related forms:
se⋅ri⋅ous⋅ness, noun

Synonyms:
2. sober, sedate, staid. 3. See earnest 1 . 5. momentous, grave.

Antonyms:
3, 5. trivial.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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se·ri·ous   (sîr'ē-əs)   
adj.  
  1. Grave in quality or manner: gave me a serious look.
    1. Carried out in earnest: engaged in serious drinking; serious study of Italian.
    2. Deeply interested or involved: a serious card player.
    3. Designed for and addressing grave and earnest tastes: serious art; serious music.
    4. Not trifling or jesting: I'm serious: we expect you to complete the assignment on time. Her question was serious enough to deserve a thoughtful response.
    5. Informal Of considerable size or scope; substantial: a cleanup that cost serious money.
    6. Of such character or quality as to appeal to the expert, the connoisseur, or the sophisticate: "Every serious kitchen needs at least one peppermill" (Washington Post).
    7. Being of such import as to cause anxiety: serious injuries; a serious turn of events.
    8. Too complex to be easily answered or solved: raised some serious objections to the proposal.
  3. Concerned with important rather than trivial matters: a serious student of history.
    1. Being of such import as to cause anxiety: serious injuries; a serious turn of events.
    2. Too complex to be easily answered or solved: raised some serious objections to the proposal.

[Middle English, from Old French serieux, from Late Latin sēriōsus, from Latin sērius.]
se'ri·ous·ly adv., se'ri·ous·ness n.
Synonyms: These adjectives refer to manner, appearance, disposition, or acts marked by absorption in thought, pressing concerns, or significant work. Serious implies a concern with responsibility and work as opposed to play: serious students of music.
Sober emphasizes circumspection and self-restraint: "My sober mind was no longer intoxicated by the fumes of politics" (Edward Gibbon).
Grave suggests the dignity and somberness associated with weighty matters: "a quiet, grave man, busied in charts, exact in sums, master of the art of tactics" (Walter Bagehot).
Solemn often adds to grave the suggestion of impressiveness: the judge's solemn tone as she handed down her decision.
Earnest implies sincerity and intensity of purpose: disputants who showed an earnest desire to reach an equitable solution.
Sedate implies a composed, dignified manner: "One of those calm, quiet, sedate natures, to whom the temptations of turbulent nerves or vehement passions are things utterly incomprehensible" (Harriet Beecher Stowe).
Staid emphasizes dignity and an often strait-laced observance of propriety: "a grave and staid God-fearing man" (Tennyson).
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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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.
Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary, © 1996, 1998 MICRA, Inc.
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Language Translation for : serious
Spanish: serio,
German: ernst,
Japanese: 真剣な
More Translations »

serious 
1440, "expressing earnest purpose or thought" (of persons), from M.Fr. sérieux "grave, earnest" (14c.), from L.L. seriosus, from L. serius "weighty, important, grave," probably from a PIE base *swer- (cf. Lith. sveriu "to weigh, lift," svarus "heavy;" O.E. swære "heavy," Ger. schwer "heavy," Goth. swers "honored, esteemed," lit. "weighty"). As opposite of jesting, from 1712; as opposite of light (of music, theater, etc.), from 1762. Meaning "attended with danger" is from 1800. Phrase to take (something) seriously is attested from 1782.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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Main Entry: se·ri·ous
Pronunciation: 'sir-E-&s
Function: adjective
: having important or dangerous possible consequences serious injury>
Merriam-Webster's Medical Dictionary, © 2002 Merriam-Webster, Inc.
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serious se·ri·ous (sēr'ē-əs)
adj.
Being of such import as to cause anxiety, as of a physical condition.

The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
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