as in earnest
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Recent Examples of serious-minded
The number of places in the world where someone can earn a living making serious-minded fine art has shrunk drastically—now the number of places where people go to prison for rigorous creative action is rising at an alarming speed.
—
Diedrich Diederichsen, Artforum, 1 Dec. 2025
Consider the career arc of Lane Monte Kiffin, son of esteemed and very serious-minded defensive coordinator Monte Kiffin.
—Dana O’Neil, CNN Money, 28 Nov. 2025
Inside, serious-minded speakers compete with bursts of music and chanting from neighboring pavilions.
—Jeff Young, MSNBC Newsweek, 20 Nov. 2025
But a bigger problem is that his earnest, hard-working performance can’t help but utilize the same tools now familiar from much less serious-minded contexts.
—Dennis Harvey, Variety, 12 Nov. 2025
Gore then spent eight years earning a reputation as a smart, serious-minded governing partner to Clinton.
—Time, 3 Nov. 2025
Shane Hollander, the serious-minded captain of the Montreal Meteors, and star and playboy Ilya Rozanov of the Boston Bears are played by Hudson Williams and Connor Storrie, respectively.
—Jesse Whittock, Deadline, 8 Oct. 2025
In this more serious-minded (and Madea-free) movie from Perry, Idris Elba plays Monty, a hard-working father who loses custody of his daughters to his drug-addled wife (Tasha Smith).
—Declan Gallagher, Entertainment Weekly, 14 Sep. 2025
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
Diedrich Diederichsen, Artforum, 1 Dec. 2025
Consider the career arc of Lane Monte Kiffin, son of esteemed and very serious-minded defensive coordinator Monte Kiffin.
—Dana O’Neil, CNN Money, 28 Nov. 2025
Inside, serious-minded speakers compete with bursts of music and chanting from neighboring pavilions.
—Jeff Young, MSNBC Newsweek, 20 Nov. 2025
But a bigger problem is that his earnest, hard-working performance can’t help but utilize the same tools now familiar from much less serious-minded contexts.
—Dennis Harvey, Variety, 12 Nov. 2025
Gore then spent eight years earning a reputation as a smart, serious-minded governing partner to Clinton.
—Time, 3 Nov. 2025
Shane Hollander, the serious-minded captain of the Montreal Meteors, and star and playboy Ilya Rozanov of the Boston Bears are played by Hudson Williams and Connor Storrie, respectively.
—Jesse Whittock, Deadline, 8 Oct. 2025
In this more serious-minded (and Madea-free) movie from Perry, Idris Elba plays Monty, a hard-working father who loses custody of his daughters to his drug-addled wife (Tasha Smith).
—Declan Gallagher, Entertainment Weekly, 14 Sep. 2025
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for serious-minded
Adjective
-
Their flock consists largely of interns and junior staffers, earnest but broke.—
Tara Palmeri,
Vanity Fair,
12 Jan. 2026
-
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
-
Still, the Broncos’ O-line had better be prepared for a New England defense on a serious heater.—
Patrick Saunders,
Denver Post,
23 Jan. 2026
-
Any serious strategy to secure the Arctic, deter adversaries and protect North America runs directly through Greenland.—
Paul McCarthy,
Boston Herald,
23 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
As the introspective journey draws to a close, the filmmaker floats the idea of continuing the project into the future, even after his departure.—
Peter Debruge,
Variety,
23 Jan. 2026
-
Recorded between Santiago and Barcelona, the track fuses rap, samples and introspective atmospheres with polished touches by Dacel.—
Tere Aguilera,
Billboard,
23 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
The result is a somber, unsettling experience that underscores how ordinary life gave way to annihilation across Europe.—
Leslie Katz,
Forbes.com,
21 Jan. 2026
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The somber aura in the locker room set the scene.—
Jordan McPherson,
Miami Herald,
21 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
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
-
Perhaps the most important question about AI in cars is not technical, but philosophical.—
Peter Lyon,
Forbes.com,
27 Jan. 2026
-
That intimacy provides an emotional counterpoint to Rushdie’s more philosophical musings about art and religion, free speech and resistance, violent intent and forgiveness.—
David Rooney,
HollywoodReporter,
25 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
By the time of the party, Eskilsson had stepped down as Tobii’s CEO and was contemplating a sedate life serving on boards.—
Deni Ellis Béchard,
Scientific American,
13 Jan. 2026
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And the Bachman House, a Chicago Landmark since 1992, is a relatively sedate work within Goff’s oeuvre.—
Edward Keegan,
Chicago Tribune,
11 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Serious-minded.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/serious-minded. Accessed 28 Jan. 2026.
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