seriousness

noun

Definition of seriousnessnext
as in intentness
a mental state free of jesting or trifling we knew from the doctor's seriousness that she didn't have good news

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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 seriousness The argument draws on Vladimir Solovyov, a 19th-century Russian philosopher, and on Pope Benedict XVI, and it is developed with genuine theological seriousness. — Nick Lichtenberg, Fortune, 18 July 2026 The cocktails carry the seriousness of people who actually care about balance. — Rafael Peña, Miami Herald, 16 July 2026 Ars spoke with several former US defense officials and space security experts to assess the seriousness of China and Russia’s efforts to counter Starlink. — Stephen Clark, ArsTechnica, 16 July 2026 External context should be treated as infrastructure, with the same seriousness that organizations apply to data quality and model governance. — Campbell Brown, Forbes.com, 10 July 2026 Rage deserves to be treated with the same seriousness now finally being extended to other menopause symptoms. — Dr. Sarah Berg, Time, 9 July 2026 That assertion undermines the seriousness of the piece and puts into question the validity of the Tribune Editorial Board’s other assertions. — Chicago Tribune, 9 July 2026 Nathan Berman, the founder and managing principal of MetroLoft, a developer of the project, downplayed the situation’s seriousness and shrugged that the damage is easily fixable. — Kerry Burke, New York Daily News, 9 July 2026 The awareness gives his practice a tone shaped by control, seriousness, and a stronger sense of the person behind the file. — Matthew Kayser, USA Today, 7 July 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for seriousness
  1. gravity
  2. earnestness
  3. solemnity
Noun
  • Petey Halpin almost tagged Jackson for a two-out homer, the ball instead succumbing to gravity near the warning track.
    — Zack Meisel, New York Times, 21 July 2026
  • Specialized software grows from complexity, compliance, data gravity and the need to make expensive organizations more productive.
    — George Wells, Forbes.com, 21 July 2026
Definition of gravity
Noun
  • The earnestness of this story just doesn’t work as well when everything is done in such blatantly artificial ways and for obvious pursuit of profit.
    — Gregory Nussen, Deadline, 8 July 2026
  • Despite the seriocomic set-up, as Vibeke gets more unstable, Mengel refuses to play her irrationality for laughs, instead taking the more difficult route of earnestness.
    — Jessica Kiang, Variety, 7 July 2026
Definition of earnestness
Noun
  • Gore is best known for Make America Great Again, her 2016 naked portrait of Trump with the paunch and solemnity of the great men of art history, adding, crucially, the tiniest of compensatory micropenises.
    — Eugenie Brinkema, ARTnews.com, 14 June 2026
  • As his own self-celebration has fizzled, a void has opened between the scheduled roster of events and the true purpose and meaning of the solemnity of July 4, 2026.
    — David Frum, The Atlantic, 31 May 2026
Definition of solemnity

Browse Nearby Words

serious-mindedness
seriousness
sermon
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Seriousness.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/seriousness. Accessed 22 Jul. 2026.

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Nglish: Translation of seriousness for Spanish Speakers

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