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- pronunciation:
- si
ri
 s
- features:
- Word Combinations (adjective), Word Explorer
| part of speech: |
adjective |
| definition 1: |
marked by careful, weighty thinking.
She gave his application a serious review.He'll have to make a serious decision about this.- synonyms:
- painstaking, thoughtful
- antonyms:
- cursory, superficial
- similar words:
- businesslike, careful, contemplative, earnest, meditative, meticulous, ruminative, sincere, solid
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| definition 2: |
not lighthearted; sober; grave.
He was a man with a serious nature and seldom joked.Because it was a serious occasion, the children were not allowed to play and were made to sit quietly.I saw her serious expression and wondered what was wrong.- synonyms:
- grave, sober
- antonyms:
- airy, amusing, cheerful, comic, comical, facetious, frivolous, funny, giddy, humorous, idle, light, lighthearted, merry, playful, unserious
- similar words:
- earnest, grim, humorless, severe, solemn, somber, staid, unsmiling
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| definition 3: |
not trivial; weighty.
Pollution is a serious matter.Armed robbery is a serious offense.- synonyms:
- crucial, grave, heavy, important, weighty
- antonyms:
- frivolous, idle, light, minor, negligible, ridiculous, superficial, trifling, trivial, unimportant
- similar words:
- consequential, deep, earnest, far-reaching, fateful, great, momentous, significant, vital
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| definition 4: |
having potentially dire consequences; dangerous; perilous.
He has a serious heart condition.The company is facing a serious financial crisis.Tuberculosis is a serious disease.- synonyms:
- acute, alarming, critical, dangerous, exigent, grave, perilous
- antonyms:
- minor
- similar words:
- bad, crucial, deep, fearful, harmful, hazardous, heavy, menacing, severe
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| definition 5: |
earnest, thoughtful, or determined; not frivolous, silly, or flighty.
She's a serious student and works very hard at her studies.- synonyms:
- dedicated, determined, earnest
- antonyms:
- frivolous, half-hearted, indifferent
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| definition 6: |
said, done, or acting in earnest; not joking.
I thought she was just kidding about being afraid of the dark, but she was quite serious.This time the neighbor's threat about the noise was serious and he called the police.You can't be serious about paying for all this yourself. Let me pay for part of it at least.- synonyms:
- earnest, genuine
- antonyms:
- facetious
- similar words:
- honest, sincere
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| related words: |
austere, capital, critical, high, hopeless, important, literal, nasty, pressing, profound, real, solid, steady, thoughtful, tragic, urgent |
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| derivations: |
seriously (adv.), seriousness (n.) |
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