as in earnest
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Recent Examples of serious-minded
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
Who’s to say that a serious-minded semi-Marxist critique of economic desperation and the rise of fascism in the Star Wars universe is somehow harder than transplanting the 1980s Amblin sensibility to the same universe?
—Daniel Fienberg, The Hollywood Reporter, 29 Jan. 2025
Molina, a gay hairdresser convicted of public indecency during Argentina’s brutal military dictatorship, has been sent to the political wing of a prison and put in the same cell as Valentin Arregui (a solid, if unremarkable Diego Luna), an intense and serious-minded Marxist revolutionary.
—Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 27 Jan. 2025
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
Who’s to say that a serious-minded semi-Marxist critique of economic desperation and the rise of fascism in the Star Wars universe is somehow harder than transplanting the 1980s Amblin sensibility to the same universe?
—Daniel Fienberg, The Hollywood Reporter, 29 Jan. 2025
Molina, a gay hairdresser convicted of public indecency during Argentina’s brutal military dictatorship, has been sent to the political wing of a prison and put in the same cell as Valentin Arregui (a solid, if unremarkable Diego Luna), an intense and serious-minded Marxist revolutionary.
—Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 27 Jan. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for serious-minded
Adjective
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The way this plays out is via a series of extremely earnest conversations about feelings, something women tend to be better at than men just given the way they are socialized.—
Rich Juzwiak,
Time,
25 June 2025
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That means energy prices may be volatile until conditions settle down – even as summer vacations start in earnest and a massive heat wave grips the central and eastern parts of the country.—
Andrea Riquier,
USA Today,
23 June 2025
Adjective
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Historians often describe Flammarion more as a popularizer than a serious scientist, but this should not diminish his accomplishments.—
Matthew Shindell,
Space.com,
29 June 2025
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To be sure, there have been positive signs that the revival was working, not least because the Tata’s were prepared to deploy serious capital and effort to back its ambitions.—
Vasuki Shastry,
Forbes.com,
29 June 2025
Adjective
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From Revenge Spending to Revenge Saving: A Behavioral Shift In contrast to the conspicuous consumption of revenge spending, revenge saving reflects a quieter, more introspective approach to financial resilience.—
Ron Shevlin,
Forbes.com,
1 July 2025
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While the country’s recent sci-fi hits — such as the blockbuster Wandering Earth franchise — lean toward big-budget spectacle in the Hollywood mold, Qiu’s film offers a quieter, more introspective approach.—
Patrick Brzeski,
HollywoodReporter,
19 June 2025
Adjective
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His overjoyed demeanor starkly contrasted with his somber appearance in court just a day before when jurors said they were deadlocked on one of the five counts.—
Molly Crane-Newman,
New York Daily News,
2 July 2025
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However, while circumstances were smooth-sailing at the start, things quickly took a somber turn on July 2, 1937.—
Yasmeen Hamadeh,
People.com,
2 July 2025
Adjective
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In the procedural drama, Rodríguez brings to life a multi-layered and solemn character shaped by a traumatic childhood — abused within the foster care system, with no knowledge of his origins, and struggling with severe dyslexia.—
Veronica Villafañe,
Forbes.com,
20 June 2025
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This protection -- known as the seal of confession -- is among the oldest and most solemn obligations in the Catholic Church, grounded in the Church’s teaching that, in the sacrament, penitents are confidentially confessing to and receiving forgiveness from God.—
Hiram Sasser,
National Review,
15 June 2025
Adjective
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Jefferson rooted the Declaration in natural philosophy, or the philosophical study of nature and the physical universe without consideration of supernatural causes.—
Time,
Time,
1 July 2025
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Barry Lam teaches in the philosophy department at the University of California, Riverside, and hosts a popular podcast, Hi-Phi Nation, which applies philosophical modes of inquiry to everyday topics.—
Hua Hsu,
New Yorker,
30 June 2025
Adjective
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That’s mostly to its benefit, as the movie — always compelling, but sometimes more sedate than its material demands — is often at its most alive during its detours.—
David Ehrlich,
IndieWire,
18 May 2025
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His willpower and determination has warded off advancing age and a T20 belligerent game that was becoming the antithesis of his technical expertise honed from a more sedate era.—
Tristan Lavalette,
Forbes.com,
4 June 2025
Cite this Entry
“Serious-minded.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/serious-minded. Accessed 8 Jul. 2025.
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