serious-minded

adjective

se·​ri·​ous-mind·​ed ˌsir-ē-əs-ˈmīn-dəd How to pronounce serious-minded (audio)
: having a serious disposition or trend of thought
serious-mindedly adverb
serious-mindedness noun

Examples of serious-minded in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
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.
Hudson Williams and Connor Storrie star as the serious-minded Canadian captain of the Montreal Meteors, and Russian star and playboy Ilya Rozanov of the Boston Raiders, respectively. Jesse Whittock, Deadline, 24 Sep. 2025 In this more serious-minded (and Madea-free) movie from Perry, Idris Elba plays Monty, a hard-working father who loses custody of his daughters to his drug-addled wife (Tasha Smith). Declan Gallagher, Entertainment Weekly, 14 Sep. 2025 These ads — presented as teasers, TV spots, and a theatrical trailer that seemed to begin as a very serious-minded tribute to Disney’s great history — served as a delightful introduction to a character that would grow to become one of the studio’s most popular. Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 23 May 2025 In 2025, Final Reckoning is exactly the kind of splashy crowd-pleaser that the festival seeks out to both offset and complement its otherwise fairly serious-minded slate of films from all over the world. Stephanie Zacharek, Time, 15 May 2025 Rather than strain to add an arthouse veneer (or the climactic reveal of an animating trauma), Coogler offers a true synthesis between serious-minded fiction and B-movie camp. Paul A. Thompson, Pitchfork, 22 Apr. 2025 This is funny; Misty, a serious-minded statistician, can’t admit to frivolity. Alexandra Schwartz, The New Yorker, 17 Mar. 2025 However, the deeper malaise will take some serious-minded action. Tim Ellis, Forbes, 1 Mar. 2025 The banter between Hedges and Scherzer lightened a serious-minded Rangers’ clubhouse. Ken Rosenthal, The Athletic, 25 Feb. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1845, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of serious-minded was in 1845

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Serious-minded.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/serious-minded. Accessed 5 Oct. 2025.

Kids Definition

serious-minded

adjective
se·​ri·​ous-mind·​ed
ˌsir-ē-ə-ˈsmīn-dəd
: having a serious disposition or trend of thought

More from Merriam-Webster on serious-minded

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