as in earnest
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Recent Examples of serious-minded
Despite decades of asking them in online forums, on social media and to search engines, humans still seem to have an infinite supply of these less-than-serious-minded queries.
—
Heather Kelly, Washington Post, 6 Feb. 2026
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
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
Still, this is an admirably serious-minded attempt to go inside a troubled community that most of us would go out of our way to avoid — showing compassion for a struggle that can frequently be one step forward, two steps back.
—David Rooney, HollywoodReporter, 3 Sep. 2019
Heather Kelly, Washington Post, 6 Feb. 2026
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
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
Still, this is an admirably serious-minded attempt to go inside a troubled community that most of us would go out of our way to avoid — showing compassion for a struggle that can frequently be one step forward, two steps back.
—David Rooney, HollywoodReporter, 3 Sep. 2019
Recent Examples of Synonyms for serious-minded
Adjective
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Together, these variables can cause inconsistencies between how many calories a food actually contains and how many are listed on that food’s nutrition label — even if a company has made an earnest attempt at calculating them.—
Kaitlin Sullivan,
NBC news,
22 Mar. 2026
-
Then came Forever, a cringingly earnest opus whose EQ included a toy frog.—
Samuel Hyland,
Pitchfork,
17 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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The men had serious criminal convictions and said Cuba would not take them back as a result.—
Syra Ortiz Blanes,
Miami Herald,
27 Mar. 2026
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Despite repairs having been made, the billing and collection system still has serious problems.—
Noel Brennan,
CBS News,
26 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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For his fourth solo album, the lead singer of the Mexican rock band Zoé has crafted his most personal and introspective work yet.—
Tere Aguilera,
Billboard,
27 Mar. 2026
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All across what is probably the best pop album of all time, Michael got sexy, sensual, and introspective in equal measures.—
Jed Gottlieb,
Boston Herald,
26 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
The group recasts these songs with somber, chant-like harmonies and sparse backing—drums, keys, and electric guitar.—
Sheila Regan,
Twin Cities,
21 Mar. 2026
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But there was a somber note too, as one of the jurors, Ida Panahandeh, couldn’t attend Series Mania because of the ongoing war.—
Marta Balaga,
Variety,
21 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
Good Friday, observed on Friday, April 3, marks the crucifixion of Jesus Christ and is one of the most solemn days of the Christian calendar.—
Julia Gomez,
USA Today,
29 Mar. 2026
-
It is celebrated with a ceremonious parade that features a cavalcade of men dressed in Roman soldier costumes, evoking a sense of solemn thanksgiving and spiritual devotion.—
Condé Nast Traveler,
Condé Nast Traveler,
28 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
Your 12th House of Inner Worlds hums as the Moon grumbles at combative Mars in your philosophical 9th house, making private worries flare when big debates start circling.—
Tarot.com,
Chicago Tribune,
24 Mar. 2026
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Readers send Miss Manners not only their table and party questions, but those involving the more complicated aspects of life - romance, work, family relationships, child-rearing, death - as well as philosophical and moral dilemmas.—
Judith Martin,
Dallas Morning News,
23 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
The monitor has a sedate 60Hz refresh rate.—
Tony Hoffman,
PC Magazine,
8 Mar. 2026
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The Olympic scandal rocked the usually sedate world of curling — a sport that tends to fall off the radar outside the Olympics.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
4 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Serious-minded.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/serious-minded. Accessed 29 Mar. 2026.
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