seriously

adverb

se·​ri·​ous·​ly ˈsir-ē-əs-lē How to pronounce seriously (audio)
1
: in a sincere manner : earnestly
speaking seriously
2
: to a serious extent : severely, extremely
seriously injured

Examples of seriously in a Sentence

No one was seriously injured in the accident. I thought seriously about death while I was in the hospital. You should seriously consider buying a new car. You don't mean that seriously, do you? It was so hot that we nearly melted. But seriously, it was hotter than I've ever experienced. I think you are seriously mistaken. See More
Recent Examples on the Web It’s meant for people to laugh, have fun, and not take overly seriously — even when the movie is taking itself seriously. Marlow Stern, Rolling Stone, 5 Dec. 2023 Police said human remains were discovered at the explosion site and that no one else was seriously injured by the blast. Jack Birle, Washington Examiner, 5 Dec. 2023 Animation legend Hayao Miyazaki’s semi-autobiographical fantasy The Boy and the Heron also must be seriously considered in this year’s race. Carolyn Giardina, The Hollywood Reporter, 4 Dec. 2023 While the United States and European countries hope to press China to take methane more seriously in climate talks, Beijing is resistant to the appearance of caving to outside pressure, analysts warn. Christian Shepherd, Washington Post, 1 Dec. 2023 But the lesson here is to laugh at yourself, not take everything so seriously, and give yourself a break from forcing things in order to start resting and receiving. Meghan Rose, Glamour, 1 Dec. 2023 Derek Chauvin expected to survive prison stabbing after being seriously injured Nov. 27, 202302:46 Chauvin was seriously injured in the Nov. 24 attack, a law enforcement source told NBC News at the time. Rebecca Cohen, NBC News, 1 Dec. 2023 At the highest level, executives must pick up the phone (seriously, this works) and speak to each other. Ali Shahbaz, Forbes, 30 Nov. 2023 The pair has turned taking nothing seriously into a serious business. Nicole Gull McElroy, WIRED, 22 Nov. 2023 See More

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

Word History

First Known Use

1509, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of seriously was in 1509

Dictionary Entries Near seriously

Cite this Entry

“Seriously.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/seriously. Accessed 11 Dec. 2023.

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