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a serious injury
a significant injury
a severe injury
a substantial injury
a major injury
an intense injury
serious questions
legitimate questions
sincere questions
genuine questions
sensible questions
tough questions
a serious concern
a substantial concern
a significant concern
a considerable concern
a major concern
an important concern
serious doubts
immense doubts
strong doubts
severe doubts
massive doubts
a serious effort
a huge effort
a considerable effort
a substantial effort
a real effort
a sincere effort

Synonym Chooser

How is the word serious different from other adjectives like it?

Some common synonyms of serious are earnest, grave, sedate, sober, solemn, and staid. While all these words mean "not light or frivolous," serious implies a concern for what really matters.

a serious play about social injustice

In what contexts can earnest take the place of serious?

Although the words earnest and serious have much in common, earnest suggests sincerity or often zealousness of purpose.

an earnest reformer

When would grave be a good substitute for serious?

While in some cases nearly identical to serious, grave implies both seriousness and dignity in expression or attitude.

read the proclamation in a grave voice

When is it sensible to use sedate instead of serious?

While the synonyms sedate and serious are close in meaning, sedate implies a composed and decorous seriousness.

remained sedate amid the commotion

Where would sober be a reasonable alternative to serious?

The words sober and serious are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, sober stresses seriousness of purpose and absence of levity or frivolity.

a sober look at the state of our schools

When might solemn be a better fit than serious?

The synonyms solemn and serious are sometimes interchangeable, but solemn suggests an impressive gravity utterly free from levity.

a sad and solemn occasion

When is staid a more appropriate choice than serious?

In some situations, the words staid and serious are roughly equivalent. However, staid suggests a settled, accustomed sedateness and prim self-restraint.

a quiet and staid community

Examples Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of serious That’s too bad, because the new Trump term will need serious pushback. Steven Greenhut, Orange County Register, 15 Nov. 2024 As a pro, Melton has never suffered a serious knee injury. Danny Emerman, The Mercury News, 14 Nov. 2024 Defacing sites or breaking the rules at important international sites has led to charges and serious fines for tourists on many occasions. Arata Yamamoto, NBC News, 14 Nov. 2024 His LinkedIn had shown us a serious education: B.A. from Harvard, an M.S. in France, a Ph.D. underway in London, memberships in the American Institute of Architects and the Royal Institute of British Architects, both of which require professional and educational verification. Suzanne Seggerman, Curbed, 14 Nov. 2024 See all Example Sentences for serious 
Recent Examples of Synonyms for serious
Adjective
  • The announcement was made earlier this month at a solemn ceremony at Department headquarters in Brooklyn to honor the lives lost.
    Vanessa Etienne, Peoplemag, 11 Sep. 2024
  • Their presence is solemn and, at the same time, festive, an echo of past times that rings with each step.
    Arath Zumaya Muñoz, Vogue, 2 Nov. 2024
Adjective
  • Defacing sites or breaking the rules at important international sites has led to charges and serious fines for tourists on many occasions.
    Arata Yamamoto, NBC News, 14 Nov. 2024
  • Several fossil teeth dating back 1.77 million years hold some important clues into our ape and human origins.
    Laura Baisas, Popular Science, 13 Nov. 2024
Adjective
  • For observers to project their own values and interests onto Hamas and its supporters is to fall into a dangerous trap.
    John Spencer, Foreign Affairs, 18 Nov. 2024
  • Williams was wearing a monitor manufactured by Honeywell Safety Products that should have warned him that he had been exposed to dangerous levels of toxic chemicals.
    Noelle Phillips, The Denver Post, 15 Nov. 2024
Adjective
  • This sci-fi thriller kicks off after an unusual solar flare causes severe memory loss on a global scale.
    Jamie Lang, Variety, 19 Nov. 2024
  • As the expert later explains in a press conference, the brain damage to Aaron’s frontal lobes was severe, almost certainly affecting his decision-making and impulse control in recent years especially.
    Ben Rosenstock, Vulture, 12 Nov. 2024
Adjective
  • Now comes perhaps his biggest challenge yet: Taking over a San Jose Earthquakes team that finished last in the entire league and gave up the most goals (78) in MLS history.
    Harold Gutmann, The Mercury News, 13 Nov. 2024
  • That's 70 million monthly active users globally, a big jump from the 5 million Netflix reported in May 2023.
    Emily Dreibelbis Forlini, PCMAG, 12 Nov. 2024
Adjective
  • Commuting can be hazardous, contributing to car accidents.
    Steve Osler, Forbes, 5 Nov. 2024
  • The concern is not that the Ukrainian military would do something hazardous with loose nukes.
    William M. Moon, Foreign Affairs, 5 Nov. 2024
Adjective
  • In this seventh installment, several of the participants appear to have been chosen because of their potential for drama rather than their earnest desire to be loved.
    Alex Abad-Santos, Vox, 31 Oct. 2024
  • In the cast of characters, Arbor is authoritative, Breeze is animated, Cove is composed, Ember is confident, Juniper is earnest, Spruce is chill, Sol is savvy, Maple, more candid, and Vale, quite curious.
    Martine Paris, Forbes, 28 Oct. 2024
Adjective
  • On Tuesday, a number of major players will release their results before the opening bell, including Home Depot (HD), the leading home improvement retailer, and AstraZeneca (AZN), the multinational pharmaceutical company.
    Vinamrata Chaturvedi, Quartz, 10 Nov. 2024
  • Winter weather shut down highways and other major roadways across the state starting Wednesday and continued to stifle traffic Thursday and Friday.
    Max Levy, The Denver Post, 9 Nov. 2024

Thesaurus Entries Near serious

Cite this Entry

“Serious.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/serious. Accessed 24 Nov. 2024.

More from Merriam-Webster on serious

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