GRAVITAS Synonyms: 48 Similar and Opposite Words

gravitas

noun

Definition of gravitas

as in gravity

formal a very serious quality or manner The new leader has an air of gravitas that commands respect. a comic actress who lacks the gravitas for dramatic roles

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Example Sentences

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.

Recent Examples of gravitas Henriksen plays his part to the hilt here, bringing a gravitas that few actors would consider bringing to the role of a shoot-'em-up movie villain. — Declan Gallagher, EW.com, 11 Jan. 2023 Singer-songwriter-keyboardist McVie took an important role in its multi-platinum efforts, with her warmth and gravitas balancing the contributions of her younger new bandmates. — Chris Morris, Variety, 30 Nov. 2022 Tell me about filming that scene and bringing the proper gravitas to a moment like that. — Brian Hiatt, Rolling Stone, 22 Nov. 2022 The 66-year-old Showalter brought a sense of stability and gravitas to a franchise that had been saddled with on- and off-the-field issues over the past several seasons. — David Brandt, BostonGlobe.com, 15 Nov. 2022 See All Example Sentences for gravitas

Recent Examples of Synonyms for gravitas

Noun

There’s a gravity, even a melancholy to her Mary Stone, which drew on Fabares’ ability to project a genuine inner life into the least promising scenarios.

— Robert Lloyd, Los Angeles Times, 25 Aug. 2026
Biting into it feels tectonic, cracking and flaking and crumbling, the gravity of umami keeping it all together.

— The Bon Appétit Staff, Bon Appetit Magazine, 24 Aug. 2026

Definition of gravity

Noun

Adults is almost always at its best when there’s a method to the madness, a kernel of earnestness at the heart of it all.

— Ben Rosenstock, Vulture, 28 Aug. 2026
That the earnestness the genre requires galls us cynics, who love to hide in our books, away from all those pesky bodies in the first place?

— Brittany Allen, Literary Hub, 13 Aug. 2026

Definition of earnestness

Noun

These statements show a total disregard for confidentiality, basic investigative standards and the seriousness of ethics violations.

— Collin Corbett, Chicago Tribune, 28 Aug. 2026
Adults’s Gen-Z characters tend to see their comforts as transient, their identities as mutable, and seriousness as an annoying obligation, all of which the second season pokes at a bit.

— Jackson McHenry, Vulture, 27 Aug. 2026

Definition of seriousness

Noun

The conference said its rule would apply independently of the status of NCAA eligibility determinations.

— Aaron Beard, Chicago Tribune, 28 Aug. 2026
In his ruling Gayles rejected the government’s argument that Vorbe could be held in mandatory detention without a bond hearing simply because of Rubio’s determination in a letter.

— Jacqueline Charles, Miami Herald, 28 Aug. 2026

Definition of determination

Noun

By May 2026, all 11 of xAI’s original cofounders had departed the company, a cascade that began in earnest in February when Tony Wu, described as one of the most operationally central cofounders, announced his resignation.

— Nick Lichtenberg, Fortune, 24 June 2026
Modern viticulture began in earnest here in the 1970s before blossoming in the ’90s.

— Sam Stone, Bon Appetit Magazine, 22 June 2026

Definition of earnest

Noun

Gore is best known for Make America Great Again, her 2016 naked portrait of Trump with the paunch and solemnity of the great men of art history, adding, crucially, the tiniest of compensatory micropenises.

— Eugenie Brinkema, ARTnews.com, 14 June 2026
As his own self-celebration has fizzled, a void has opened between the scheduled roster of events and the true purpose and meaning of the solemnity of July 4, 2026.

— David Frum, The Atlantic, 31 May 2026

Definition of solemnity

Noun

The opening up to the friendship with Renata, the attentiveness with Luis, and not being set on killing Negan are monumental changes for her.

— Dalton Ross, Entertainment Weekly, 17 Aug. 2026
Thanks to the controller’s attentiveness, a possible mid-air collision may have been prevented, especially if the pilots operating the individual planes thought the controller was giving them the same flight instructions.

— Natalia Senanayake, PEOPLE, 17 Aug. 2026

Definition of attentiveness

Browse Nearby Words

graving

gravitas

gravitate

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“Gravitas.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/gravitas. Accessed 1 Sep. 2026.

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Synonyms of gravitas

noun

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