serious

A2 Topic:Describing Qualities

US /ˈsɪɹ.i.əs/ UK /ˈsɪə̯.ɹi.əs/ See IPA manual

Freq #577

Meanings

1

adj
Important and possibly worrying; not small or trivial.

This is a serious problem, and we'll need our best experts.
2

adj
Really meaning what you say or plan; not joking.

Are you serious about quitting your job?
3

adj
Quiet and thoughtful, without smiling or joking.

He had a serious look on his face as he read the letter.
4

adj
Giving careful attention to something important rather than treating it as fun.

She is a serious student of history.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

1 adj · important and possibly... grave

2 adj · really meaning what you say... earnest

3 adj · quiet and thoughtful,... solemn

More austere demure frightful grievouslack-laughtersad sage saturnine sedate sober

Opposites

gaudyjestingtrifling unimportant witty

Word family

Derived forms hyperseriousjocoseriousnonseriousoverseriousself-serioussemiseriousseriositudeserious-mindedserious-mindedlyserious-mindednessseriously seriousness

Related forms important sullen

Appears in

Phrases (13)

See all

serious accident
an accident involving significant injury or damage

Adjective + noun
serious case
an important instance of something that requires significant attention or concern

Adjective + noun
serious crime
an illegal act considered to be of great severity

Adjective + noun
serious talk
an important or grave conversation

Adjective + noun
serious boyfriend
a boyfriend with whom one has a committed relationship

Adjective + noun
serious fault
a significant error or flaw with important consequences

Adjective + noun

Etymology

From Middle English seryows, from Old French serieux, from Medieval Latin sēriōsus, an extension of Latin sērius (“grave, earnest, serious”), from Proto-Indo-European *swer- (“heavy”). Cognate with German schwer (“heavy, difficult, severe”), Old English swǣr (“heavy, grave, grievous”). More at swear, sweer.

seryows Middle English serieux Old French sēriōsus la-med sērius Latin *swer- Proto-Indo-European

View etymology graph ->

Topics

Describing Qualities

External links

# serious

**Type:** Word
**Level:** A2
**Part of speech:** adj
**IPA (US):** /ˈsɪɹ.i.əs/
**IPA (UK):** /ˈsɪə̯.ɹi.əs/
**Frequency rank:** 577

## Meanings
1. Important and possibly worrying; not small or trivial.
2. Really meaning what you say or plan; not joking.
3. Quiet and thoughtful, without smiling or joking.
4. Giving careful attention to something important rather than treating it as fun.

## Examples
- This is a serious problem, and we'll need our best experts.
- Are you serious about quitting your job?
- He had a serious look on his face as he read the letter.
- She is a serious student of history.

## Synonyms
- austere
- demure
- earnest
- frightful
- grave
- grievous
- lack-laughter
- sad
- sage
- saturnine
- sedate
- sober

## Antonyms
- gaudy
- jesting
- trifling
- unimportant
- witty

## Derived Forms
- hyperserious
- jocoserious
- nonserious
- overserious
- self-serious
- semiserious
- seriositude
- serious-minded
- serious-mindedly
- serious-mindedness
- seriously
- seriousness

## Related Forms
- important
- sullen

## Roots and Affixes
- Root: seryows
- Root: serieux
- Root: sēriōsus
- Root: sērius
- Root: *swer-

## Etymology
From Middle English seryows, from Old French serieux, from Medieval Latin sēriōsus, an extension of Latin sērius (“grave, earnest, serious”), from Proto-Indo-European *swer- (“heavy”). Cognate with German schwer (“heavy, difficult, severe”), Old English swǣr (“heavy, grave, grievous”). More at swear, sweer.

## AI Etymology
Serious is from Middle English seryows, from Old French serieux, from Medieval Latin sēriōsus, an extension of Latin sērius (“grave, earnest, serious”), from Proto-Indo-European *swer- (“heavy”). Cognate with German schwer (“heavy, difficult, severe”), Old English swǣr (“heavy, grave, grievous”). More at swear, sweer. Important forms in the word's history include Middle English seryows, Old French serieux, la-med sēriōsus, Latin sērius, Proto-Indo-European *swer-. In current use it includes senses such as Important and possibly worrying; not small or trivial and Really meaning what you say or plan; not joking.

## Topics
- Describing Qualities

markdown