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a serious injury
a significant injury
a severe injury
a substantial injury
a major injury
an intense injury
serious questions
legitimate questions
sincere questions
genuine questions
sensible questions
tough questions
a serious concern
a substantial concern
a significant concern
a considerable concern
a major concern
an important concern
serious doubts
immense doubts
strong doubts
severe doubts
massive doubts
a serious effort
a huge effort
a considerable effort
a substantial effort
a real effort
a sincere effort

Synonym Chooser

How is the word serious different from other adjectives like it?

Some common synonyms of serious are earnest, grave, sedate, sober, solemn, and staid. While all these words mean "not light or frivolous," serious implies a concern for what really matters.

a serious play about social injustice

In what contexts can earnest take the place of serious?

Although the words earnest and serious have much in common, earnest suggests sincerity or often zealousness of purpose.

an earnest reformer

When would grave be a good substitute for serious?

While in some cases nearly identical to serious, grave implies both seriousness and dignity in expression or attitude.

read the proclamation in a grave voice

When is it sensible to use sedate instead of serious?

While the synonyms sedate and serious are close in meaning, sedate implies a composed and decorous seriousness.

remained sedate amid the commotion

Where would sober be a reasonable alternative to serious?

The words sober and serious are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, sober stresses seriousness of purpose and absence of levity or frivolity.

a sober look at the state of our schools

When might solemn be a better fit than serious?

The synonyms solemn and serious are sometimes interchangeable, but solemn suggests an impressive gravity utterly free from levity.

a sad and solemn occasion

When is staid a more appropriate choice than serious?

In some situations, the words staid and serious are roughly equivalent. However, staid suggests a settled, accustomed sedateness and prim self-restraint.

a quiet and staid community

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 serious In the past, the drive to grow contributed to more serious issues, such as the 2016 SEC fraud case where the company was accused of inflating its 2011 financial results. Alexander Puutio, Forbes.com, 23 May 2025 But critics across the political spectrum, including some Republicans, say the arrangement raises serious legal and constitutional questions—especially given Trump’s private business ties in the region and the shadow of past emoluments controversies. Nik Popli, Time, 12 May 2025 The dearth of serious voting impediments is long-standing finding in polls. Karlyn Bowman, Forbes.com, 12 May 2025 Meanwhile, India has released new satellite images showing serious damage to air strips and radar stations at what Indian defense officials say are multiple Pakistani military bases crippled by massive Indian airstrikes. Matthew Chance, CNN Money, 12 May 2025 See All Example Sentences for serious
Recent Examples of Synonyms for serious
Adjective
  • Handheld digital images give way to more solemn documentary reveries, which give way to surveillance footage and TikTok-style social media interludes.
    Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 17 May 2025
  • The scenes involving Alma and Erika, both of whom grow up in worlds dominated by a solemn patriarchy and plagued by hardship, feel like they were drawn from period horror movies.
    Jordan Mintzer, HollywoodReporter, 14 May 2025
Adjective
  • That’s another important component of the foreclosures First Street tracked: areas where home prices are rising tend to avoid falling into distress.
    Andrea Riquier, USA Today, 20 May 2025
  • This is one of the most important civil rights movements of our time and yet nobody really knows about it.
    Mathew Rodriguez, Them., 19 May 2025
Adjective
  • This, in effect, frames even the movie’s unrelated, apolitical happenings as being at the mercy of this dangerous future, backed by Western powers.
    Siddhant Adlakha, Variety, 24 May 2025
  • Mensah and Bharadwaj take dangerous risks exploring an unknown area while Gurathin confronts Murderbot.
    Billie Melissa, MSNBC Newsweek, 24 May 2025
Adjective
  • Biden’s physical deterioration was so severe in the second half of his presidency that aides privately talked about the possibility of a wheelchair, according to an excerpt of a new book by CNN’s Jake Tapper and Axios’ Alex Thompson.
    Kathryn Palmer, USA Today, 14 May 2025
  • One of the study's authors, Sean Esteban McCabe, also found that a large number of parents with substance use disorder have a moderate to severe condition.
    Rachel Raposas, People.com, 13 May 2025
Adjective
  • Crow-Armstrong had a big series against the Sox and seems to enjoy being a villain in the eyes of Sox fans for his chest-thumping, arm-waving celebrations.
    Paul Sullivan, Chicago Tribune, 19 May 2025
  • The former pro athlete was also the face and voice of one of the biggest video game franchises of all time, Madden NFL.
    Christopher Rudolph, People.com, 18 May 2025
Adjective
  • The cities with some of the highest rates of poverty and the most people of color have borne the burden of the state’s hazardous waste facilities.
    Sarah McCoy, Hartford Courant, 18 May 2025
  • The warning is issued to notify fire officials of potentially hazardous weather conditions expected within the next 12 to 24 hours.
    Adeola Adeosun, MSNBC Newsweek, 17 May 2025
Adjective
  • Director Dean Fleischer Camp’s family adventure feels like an excessively earnest Disney Channel movie compared with the delightfully unhinged 2002 cartoon.
    Brian Truitt, USA Today, 21 May 2025
  • Blissfully, the 2002 film Lilo & Stitch gets an adaptation that is vibrant, whimsical, and earnest (and also cute and fluffy!).
    EW.com, EW.com, 20 May 2025
Adjective
  • According to a 2025 report from the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, roughly 21% of consumers with a credit record were using a buy now, pay later plan from one of six major firms in 2022.
    Melina Khan, USA Today, 16 May 2025
  • The three-time major champion, lacking only the Wanamaker Trophy for his major collection, ran off three straight bogeys early on the back nine and shot 76.
    Doug Ferguson, Chicago Tribune, 16 May 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Serious.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/serious. Accessed 27 May. 2025.

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