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
-
This latest saga between these long-time rivals began in earnest on Monday evening in the bottom of the sixth.—
Justice delos Santos,
Mercury News,
24 Apr. 2026
-
On Monday, environmental contractors will launch abatement measures in earnest inside the massive, 190,000-square-foot structure, just east of Dunkin’ Park.—
Kenneth R. Gosselin,
Hartford Courant,
24 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
The breadth of recent enforcement actions and license revocations makes clear that this is a serious, ongoing problem that demands immediate and sustained action.—
Tom Koutsoumpas,
Oc Register,
24 Apr. 2026
-
But that document raised serious questions about recent assertions made by the city in a related lawsuit.—
Alex Riggins,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
24 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
Accompanied by organ and drums, the Norwegian guitarist finds introspective new shades of her virtuosic approach.—
Joshua Minsoo Kim,
Pitchfork,
24 Apr. 2026
-
He’s measured, introspective and — most of all — calm.—
Blair R. Fischer,
Chicago Tribune,
20 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
The mood in the classroom has been somber, Hall said.—
Lauren Mascarenhas,
CNN Money,
23 Apr. 2026
-
The music video featured a montage of Miley Cyrus' early days, as her somber dad strummed the guitar.—
Stephanie Sengwe,
PEOPLE,
22 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
Inspired by the most recent decade of killings of unarmed Black men by police, the seven prints selected from Henry’s series draw upon the sculptural pathos and solemn formalities of Michelangelo’s Pietà di San Pietro.—
Horace D. Ballard,
Artforum,
22 Apr. 2026
-
While it’s meant to be a solemn moment, was that uncomfortable for you as a comedian?—
Stuart Miller,
Los Angeles Times,
22 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
That is a reasonable philosophical position in the abstract.—
Julian Baron,
Baltimore Sun,
19 Apr. 2026
-
That was sort of my philosophical or literary grounding.—
Lisa Deaderick,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
18 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
Now, however, a study published today in Nature is challenging this sedate view, suggesting instead that the solar system’s first solids stormed into being much faster from sudden temperature shifts in the disk’s turbulent maelstrom.—
Javier Barbuzano,
Scientific American,
22 Apr. 2026
-
Even the entry categories are very spacious by city standards and feature a classic décor of Louis XV-style furnishings, sedate color schemes, and (in most) terraces or balconies.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
11 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Serious-minded.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/serious-minded. Accessed 28 Apr. 2026.
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