How to Use serious in a Sentence

serious

adjective
  • The team is a serious contender for the championship.
  • If you want to quit smoking, you have to make a serious effort.
  • Dog shows are a serious business.
  • For my brother, not going to college was a serious mistake.
  • Crime is a serious problem in this neighborhood.
  • The story raises serious questions about our system of justice.
  • They had a serious conversation about their relationship.
  • She is a serious cyclist who rides 200 miles each week.
  • This time, the back soreness doesn’t seem to be serious.
    Jeff Fletcher, Orange County Register, 9 Sep. 2024
  • But she has been struck by two serious seizures since Mya’s been gone.
    Jose R. Gonzalez, The Arizona Republic, 8 Apr. 2023
  • The boy suffered serious injuries as a result of the fall, Moore says.
    Quinlan Bentley, The Enquirer, 11 Aug. 2023
  • Late hours are amenable to talk, whether serious or silly, and talk is the series’ stock in trade.
    Robert Lloyd, Los Angeles Times, 22 Sep. 2023
  • That said, the pursuit of self-love should not be stressful or too serious.
    Calin Van Paris, Vogue, 24 Dec. 2023
  • Here’s a look at why each horse can and can’t win the Preakness — many serious, a few tongue in cheek and one destined to be right.
    Jason Frakes, The Courier-Journal, 17 May 2023
  • That is, nothing too serious or about what’s been on my mind.
    Carolyn Hax, Washington Post, 1 June 2023
  • That's more than enough to do some serious damage to humans who cross their paths.
    Steve Gardner, USA TODAY, 12 June 2023
  • But that was before Trump was found guilty of serious crimes by a New York jury.
    Steve Chapman, Chicago Tribune, 6 June 2024
  • By 1912 the building was in serious need of repairs, leading some mothers of students to protest to the school board.
    Richard Selcer, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 17 Feb. 2024
  • The pair then shares a toast and kiss before discussing more serious matters.
    Stephanie Wenger, Peoplemag, 27 Oct. 2023
  • If convicted, Santos faces up to 20 years in prison for the most serious charges.
    Scott MacFarlane, CBS News, 9 June 2023
  • But serious obstacles stand in the way of any prospective deal.
    Karen Deyoung, Washington Post, 11 Aug. 2023
  • Before the serious discussion — which did end in an agreement — the Carters and Kim took a cruise down a river.
    Kevin Sullivan, Washington Post, 20 Nov. 2023
  • Flowers: Pretty much just a very serious kind of solemn face.
    Chris Klimek, Smithsonian Magazine, 14 Dec. 2023
  • While the Houthis may not be able to pose a serious threat to Israel, their technology can wreak havoc in the Red Sea.
    Christian Edwards, CNN, 4 Feb. 2024
  • One such new category is golf, a sport that Khaled says he’s started to get serious about in the past few years.
    Jeff Ihaza, Rolling Stone, 7 Nov. 2023
  • No serious policy expert on the left or right thinks these are good ideas.
    Brynn Tannehill, The New Republic, 24 Aug. 2023
  • The LeDees know Jaedon is happy to be home, but serious about winning.
    Ryan Finley, San Diego Union-Tribune, 31 Mar. 2023
  • Now the album is a serious contender to debut at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 albums chart next week.
    Colin Stutz, Billboard, 17 Feb. 2024
  • According to the park's website, there's also a reservable picnic structure for those who want to get serious about their outdoor dining.
    Stacey Leasca, Travel + Leisure, 25 Oct. 2024
  • Questions clearly exist about the degree to which the NFL can reduce the serious risks associated with the game without fundamentally changing the sport and its commercial appeal.
    Chris Deubert, Forbes, 25 Oct. 2024

Some of these examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'serious.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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