as in earnest
Related Words
Relevance
Dissimilar Words
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-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
-
Similarly, Barnes and Saenz de Viteri’s work appears at first all winky smiles, earnest exuberance and breezy dialogue layered over flailing arms, speedy footwork and spoken self-deprecating asides, often set to a Golden Oldies soundtrack.—
Brian Schaefer
July 7,
Literary Hub,
7 July 2025
-
Keen home cook Erin Patterson hosted an intimate meal in July 2023 that started with good-natured banter and earnest prayer — but ended with three guests dead.—
Preston Fore,
Fortune,
7 July 2025
Adjective
-
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
-
Some 182 people with serious mental illness in the city jails are waiting for one of those beds, city correction officials said Thursday.—
Graham Rayman,
New York Daily News,
29 June 2025
Adjective
-
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
-
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
-
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
-
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
-
Its fun-first identity is part of the draw in a market flooded with solemn storytelling and dusty barrels.—
Hudson Lindenberger,
Forbes.com,
8 July 2025
-
Moderator Whoopi Goldberg opened the show with a solemn acknowledgment of the disaster, urging viewers in affected areas to stay safe and tune in for information on how to help.—
Heather Hunter,
The Washington Examiner,
7 July 2025
Adjective
-
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
-
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
-
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
-
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 11 Jul. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share