serious

adjective

Important; weighty; not insignificant.

Really intending what is said (or planned, etc); in earnest; not jocular or deceiving.

Without humor or expression of happiness; grave in manner or disposition.

(of a relationship) Committed.

adverb

(colloquial or dialect) seriously, in a serious manner (most often heard in take or mean serious)

Roots

seriusseri- · Latin · weighty, grave, earnest -osus-ous · Latin · full of, characterized by

Synonyms for serious

severeadj grievousadj graveadj dangerousadj significantadj sobersidedadj weightyadj earnestn considerableadj acuteadj intenseadj criticaladj heavyadj importantadj solemnadj consequentialadj

Synonyms & related words for serious

Find synonyms, related words, and the definition of serious — including severe, grievous, grave, dangerous, significant, sobersided. Dendril is a free visual thesaurus that shows them on an interactive map where stronger matches sit closer to the center — no signup, no ads.

Words related to serious

Explore words related to serious — words associated with it, words that go with it, and its nearest matches in meaning. Related words include seriously, seriousness, sobering, unserious, gravest, substantial, severest, grievousness. Click any word to make it the center of the map and keep exploring the web of connections.

Synonyms for serious

Common synonyms for serious include severe, grievous, grave, dangerous, significant, sobersided, weighty, earnest — words that share a close meaning. Hover or tap any word on the map for its definition and part of speech.

Where does serious come from?

The word serious breaks down into 2 roots of Latin origin: seri, from Latin serius (“weighty, grave, earnest”); and -ous, from Latin -osus (“full of, characterized by”). Explore each root to see other English words built from the same source.