1
as in solemn
not joking or playful in mood or manner
I'm serious when I say that no one should be walking in that neighborhood at night
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in important
having a matter of importance as its topic
a very serious film that dealt with the aftermath of the Gulf War
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in dangerous
involving potential loss or injury
a serious accident
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of serious
He's spent the last three seasons flirting and dodging anything serious, but season 4 finally gives him his own love story.
—
Allison Degrushe, Entertainment Weekly, 29 Jan. 2026
The conditions that produce landmark discoveries are not necessarily the same ones that produce a serious education.
—Ian Bogost, The Atlantic, 29 Jan. 2026
Miami police are reminding drivers that leaving the scene of a crash can result in serious criminal charges.
—Ivan Taylor, CBS News, 29 Jan. 2026
Sitting in eighth place in the West at 26-22 entering Wednesday’s game at Utah, the Warriors don’t look like a serious threat to make a deep playoff run after Butler’s injury.
—Michael Nowels, Mercury News, 29 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for serious
Allison Degrushe, Entertainment Weekly, 29 Jan. 2026
The conditions that produce landmark discoveries are not necessarily the same ones that produce a serious education.
—Ian Bogost, The Atlantic, 29 Jan. 2026
Miami police are reminding drivers that leaving the scene of a crash can result in serious criminal charges.
—Ivan Taylor, CBS News, 29 Jan. 2026
Sitting in eighth place in the West at 26-22 entering Wednesday’s game at Utah, the Warriors don’t look like a serious threat to make a deep playoff run after Butler’s injury.
—Michael Nowels, Mercury News, 29 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for serious
Recent Examples of Synonyms for serious
Adjective
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The new film Leviticus, from director Adrian Chiarella, is a solemn and frightening acknowledgment of that reality, albeit one allegorized into supernatural horror.—
Richard Lawson,
HollywoodReporter,
24 Jan. 2026
-
Longitudinal documentaries — shot over many years and following their subjects over wide swaths of their lives — sometimes have a tendency to totalize, almost as if their scope justifies and perhaps demands a solemn, all-encompassing thesis.—
Bilge Ebiri,
Vulture,
24 Jan. 2026
Adjective
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Sleep disturbances While marijuana’s mild sedating and relaxing effects can sometimes help people who have difficulty falling asleep, experts say there are several important things to consider before using it as a sleep aid.—
Melissa Rudy,
FOXNews.com,
30 Jan. 2026
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In erasing these concepts, or transforming them into meaningless slogans, the recent right-wing campaign of educational suppression seeks to eliminate an important means of understanding Black history.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
30 Jan. 2026
Adjective
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More than a billion phones are now ineligible for security updates at a time when the threat landscape has never been more dangerous.—
Zak Doffman,
Forbes.com,
27 Jan. 2026
-
The church opened its warming center over the weekend, anticipating the arrival of the winter storm and the dangerous drop in temperatures.—
Leondra Head,
CBS News,
27 Jan. 2026
Adjective
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In high doses, etizolam can cause severe central nervous system depression, potentially leading to unconsciousness, respiratory failure and death.—
Bonny Chu,
FOXNews.com,
30 Jan. 2026
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Kyiv, which has grappled with severe power shortages this winter, is forecast to enter a brutally cold stretch starting Friday that is expected to last into next week.—
AAMER MADHANI AND SUSIE BLANN THE ASSOCIATED PRESS,
Arkansas Online,
30 Jan. 2026
Adjective
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Bulletin board member Steve Fetter stated that the rise of ‘unregulated AI tools’ poses a big threat to human survival in the present times.—
Atharva Gosavi,
Interesting Engineering,
28 Jan. 2026
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More than 8,000 volunteers are with the program so far, but leaders have a goal of growing Phambassadors to at least 10,000 people before the year's biggest events.—
Nikki DeMentri,
CBS News,
28 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
This week, a powerful winter storm dumped a hazardous mix of snow, ice, and sleet across much of the United States, knocking out power to hundreds of thousands of homes, grounding flights, closing schools, and disrupting the lives of more than 200 million Americans.—
Cat Ward,
Forbes.com,
29 Jan. 2026
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Most areas in North Texas were covered in ice, sleet and snow, creating hazardous conditions.—
Stephen Sorace,
FOXNews.com,
29 Jan. 2026
Adjective
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Their flock consists largely of interns and junior staffers, earnest but broke.—
Tara Palmeri,
Vanity Fair,
12 Jan. 2026
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The movie is like a version of Waiting for Guffman (1996) in which the Christopher Guest character was not a buffoon but an earnest striver with grit and (significant) talent.—
Peter Tonguette,
The Washington Examiner,
9 Jan. 2026
Adjective
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Zelenskyy said Ukrainian intelligence reports indicate Russia is assembling forces for a major aerial attack.—
AAMER MADHANI AND SUSIE BLANN THE ASSOCIATED PRESS,
Arkansas Online,
30 Jan. 2026
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Jenner, like her sister Kim Kardashian, has often turned to Margiela for her most major moments, with an affinity for the house’s sensual, body-exulting designs.—
Anna Cafolla,
Vogue,
30 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Serious.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/serious. Accessed 31 Jan. 2026.
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