Etymology
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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.
Pronunciation
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Adjective
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serious (comparative more serious, superlative most serious)
- Without humor or expression of happiness; grave in manner or disposition
- Synonyms: earnest, solemn
- deadly serious
It was a surprise to see the captain, who had always seemed so serious, laugh so heartily.
- Important; weighty; not insignificant
This is a serious problem. We'll need our best experts.
- Really intending what is said (or planned, etc); in earnest; not jocular or deceiving
After all these years, we're finally getting serious attention.
He says he wants to buy the team, but is he serious?
- (of a relationship) Committed.
Synonyms
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Antonyms
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Derived terms
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Translations
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without humor or expression of happiness
- Afrikaans: ernstig (af)
- Arabic: جِدِّيّ (jiddiyy)
- Armenian: լուրջ (hy) (lurǰ)
- Azerbaijani: ciddi (az)
- Bashkir: етди (yetdi)
- Belarusian: сур'ё́зны (surʺjózny)
- Bulgarian: сериозен (bg) (seriozen)
- Catalan: seriós (ca)
- Chinese:
- Mandarin: 嚴肅/严肃 (zh) (yánsù)
- Czech: vážný (cs)
- Dutch: serieus (nl), ernstig (nl)
- Esperanto: serioza
- Estonian: tõsine
- Finnish: vakava (fi), vakavamielinen, totinen (fi)
- French: sérieux (fr)
- Galician: serio (gl)
- Georgian: სერიოზული (seriozuli)
- German: ernst (de), seriös (de)
- Greek: σοβαρός (el) (sovarós)
- Hungarian: komoly (hu)
- Indonesian: serius (id)
- Italian: serio (it)
- Japanese: 真面目 (ja) (まじめ, majime), 真剣 (ja) (しんけん, shinken), 本気 (ja) (ほんき, honki)
- Kazakh: байсалды (baisaldy), байыпты (baiypty)
- Ladino: seriozo m
- Latin: sērius
- Latvian: nopietns
- Lithuanian: please add this translation if you can
- Louisiana Creole French: sériyé
- Norman: séthieux
- Occitan: seriós (oc)
- Ottoman Turkish: دولك (dölek), آغر (ağır)
- Plautdietsch: iernst, ieeboa
- Polish: poważny (pl)
- Portuguese: sério (pt)
- Romanian: serios (ro)
- Russian: серьёзный (ru) (serʹjóznyj)
- Serbo-Croatian: ȍzbīljan (sh), hládan (sh)
- Sicilian: seriu (scn), tristu
- Spanish: serio (es)
- Swedish: allvarsam (sv)
- Thai: เคร่งขรึม (th)
- Turkish: ciddi (tr), vezmin, salmaklı (tr)
- Ukrainian: серйо́зний (serjóznyj)
- Welsh: difrifol (cy)
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important; weighty; not trifling; leaving no room for play
- Afrikaans: ernstig (af)
- Arabic: جَدِّيّ (jaddiyy), جَادّ (jādd)
- Armenian: լուրջ (hy) (lurǰ)
- Bashkir: етди (yetdi)
- Belarusian: сур'ё́зны (surʺjózny)
- Bulgarian: важен (bg) (važen), сериозен (bg) (seriozen)
- Catalan: seriós (ca)
- Chinese:
- Mandarin: 認真/认真 (zh) (rènzhēn), 嚴重/严重 (zh) (yánzhòng), 沉重 (zh) (chénzhòng)
- Czech: vážný (cs)
- Danish: alvorlig (da)
- Dutch: serieus (nl)
- Esperanto: serioza, grava (eo)
- Estonian: tõsine
- Faroese: álvarsamur
- Finnish: vakava (fi)
- French: sérieux (fr)
- Georgian: მნიშვნელოვანი (mnišvnelovani), საყურადღებო (saq̇uradɣebo), ღრმააზროვანი (ɣrmaazrovani), სერიოზული (seriozuli)
- German: ernst (de), ernsthaft (de), schwerwiegend (de)
- Alemannic German: èèrnscht
- Greek: σοβαρός (el) (sovarós)
- Ancient: σπουδαῖος (spoudaîos)
- Guaraní: pohýi
- Hebrew: רציני (he) (r'tsiní)
- Hungarian: komoly (hu), súlyos (hu), fontos (hu), jelentős (hu), nagy horderejű
- Icelandic: alvarlegur (is)
- Italian: serio (it), grave (it), critico (it)
- Japanese: 真面目 (ja) (まじめ, majime), 真剣 (ja) (しんけん, shinken), 深刻 (ja) (しんこく, shinkoku)
- Khmer: ដុនដាប (don daap)
- Korean: 심각한 (simgakhan)
- Ladino: seriozo m
- Latin: gravis (la), sevērus, sonticus
- Latvian: svarīgs
- Lithuanian: please add this translation if you can
- Louisiana Creole French: sériyé
- Malay: serius (ms)
- Maori: taumaha, taimaha, tūpoupou (of illness), motuhēhē
- Mongolian: please add this translation if you can
- Norman: séthieux
- Norwegian: alvorlig (no), seriøs
- Occitan: seriós (oc) m
- Plautdietsch: schlemm, iernst
- Polish: poważny (pl)
- Portuguese: sério (pt)
- Russian: серьёзный (ru) (serʹjóznyj)
- Samoan: faigatā
- Sanskrit: गुरु (sa) (guru)
- Serbo-Croatian: ȍzbīljan (sh), vážan (sh), znȁčājan (sh)
- Sicilian: mpurtanti, mprisiusu, seriu (scn)
- Spanish: serio (es)
- Swedish: allvarlig (sv), seriös (sv)
- Tagalog: malma
- Tetum: seriu
- Thai: จริงจัง (th) (jing-jang)
- Tibetan: please add this translation if you can
- Tongan: mahuʻinga
- Turkish: ciddi (tr), salmaklı (tr)
- Ukrainian: серйо́зний (serjóznyj)
- Vietnamese: nghiêm trọng (vi)
- Welsh: difrifol (cy)
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really intending what is said; being in earnest
- Afrikaans: ernstig (af)
- Arabic: جَدِّيّ (jaddiyy), جَادّ (jādd)
- Armenian: լուրջ (hy) (lurǰ)
- Bashkir: етди (yetdi)
- Belarusian: сур'ё́зны (surʺjózny)
- Bulgarian: сериозен (bg) (seriozen)
- Catalan: seriós (ca)
- Chinese:
- Mandarin: 認真/认真 (zh) (rènzhēn), 嚴重/严重 (zh) (yánzhòng)
- Czech: vážný (cs)
- Dutch: ernstig (nl), serieus (nl)
- Finnish: vakava (fi)
- French: sérieux (fr)
- German: ernsthaft (de)
- Greek: σοβαρός (el) (sovarós)
- Ancient: σπουδαῖος (spoudaîos)
- Hebrew: רציני (he) (r'tsiní)
- Hungarian: komoly (hu), valós (hu), valódi (hu), őszinte (hu)
- Irish: dáiríre
- Italian: serio (it)
- Japanese: 真面目 (ja) (まじめ, majime)
- Korean: 심각한 (simgakhan)
- Ladino: seriozo m
- Latin: sērius
- Latvian: nopietns
- Louisiana Creole French: sériyé
- Norman: séthieux
- Occitan: seriós (oc) m
- Portuguese: sério (pt)
- Russian: серьёзный (ru) (serʹjóznyj)
- Serbo-Croatian: ȍzbīljan (sh)
- Sicilian: anestu, cuscinziusu, judizziusu, seriu (scn), sinceru
- Spanish: serio (es)
- Swedish: seriös (sv)
- Thai: จริงจัง (th) (jing-jang)
- Ukrainian: серйо́зний (serjóznyj)
- Welsh: o ddifri'
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serious (not comparable)
- (colloquial or dialect) seriously, in a serious manner (most often heard in take or mean serious)
1957, Ray Lawler, Summer of the Seventeenth Doll, Sydney: Fontana Books, published 1974, page 68:The only time I walk out on singin' is when there's muckin' about and youse don't take it serious.
Further reading
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- “serious”, in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: G. & C. Merriam, 1913, →OCLC.
- “serious”, in The Century Dictionary […], New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., 1911, →OCLC.