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
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Recent Examples of seriousness
It's done with such seriousness and attention to detail you’d almost be convinced this moon mission succeeded 19 years before Apollo 11's monumental landing.
—
Jeff Spry, Space.com, 30 Mar. 2026
At her presser, the Sacramento Bee's Joe Davidson asked Staley about wearing Johnson's shirt and balancing fun with seriousness.
—Megan Armstrong, MSNBC Newsweek, 29 Mar. 2026
Her words underscored the seriousness with which the coroner’s office is treating the find, even after ruling out a connection to any active missing persons investigation.
—Ryan Brennan, Miami Herald, 27 Mar. 2026
The house did not have a European or East Coast seriousness, but rather a Californian dimension rooted in casualness, improvisation, and lack of pretension.
—Rem Koolhaas, Artforum, 26 Mar. 2026
Picture an army of worthy USTR officials solemnly poring over Bangladesh’s structural overcapacity in manufacturing with all the seriousness of purpose that the exercise demands.
—Mihir Sharma, Twin Cities, 26 Mar. 2026
Bagula said that that step reflects the seriousness of the movement.
—Jemma Stephenson, San Diego Union-Tribune, 25 Mar. 2026
Regulators must treat distribution power with the same seriousness as content ownership.
—Joseph M. Singer, Deadline, 24 Mar. 2026
That’s a common enough strategy for newbies trying to signal seriousness in a crowded field.
—Alison Foreman, IndieWire, 23 Mar. 2026
Jeff Spry, Space.com, 30 Mar. 2026
At her presser, the Sacramento Bee's Joe Davidson asked Staley about wearing Johnson's shirt and balancing fun with seriousness.
—Megan Armstrong, MSNBC Newsweek, 29 Mar. 2026
Her words underscored the seriousness with which the coroner’s office is treating the find, even after ruling out a connection to any active missing persons investigation.
—Ryan Brennan, Miami Herald, 27 Mar. 2026
The house did not have a European or East Coast seriousness, but rather a Californian dimension rooted in casualness, improvisation, and lack of pretension.
—Rem Koolhaas, Artforum, 26 Mar. 2026
Picture an army of worthy USTR officials solemnly poring over Bangladesh’s structural overcapacity in manufacturing with all the seriousness of purpose that the exercise demands.
—Mihir Sharma, Twin Cities, 26 Mar. 2026
Bagula said that that step reflects the seriousness of the movement.
—Jemma Stephenson, San Diego Union-Tribune, 25 Mar. 2026
Regulators must treat distribution power with the same seriousness as content ownership.
—Joseph M. Singer, Deadline, 24 Mar. 2026
That’s a common enough strategy for newbies trying to signal seriousness in a crowded field.
—Alison Foreman, IndieWire, 23 Mar. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for seriousness
Noun
-
That is the highest-level designation for severe accidents, placing it alongside the fatal Challenger (1986) and Columbia (2003) shuttle disasters in terms of gravity.—
Chris Young,
Interesting Engineering,
31 Mar. 2026
-
The Moon is exceptionally large compared with Earth for a natural satellite, and at only 30 Earth-diameters away from the Earth, its gravity is significant enough to be the dominant factor in determining the oceanic tides that our planet experiences.—
Big Think,
Big Think,
31 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
Taparjan’s voiceover fills the soundtrack with the same earnestness.—
Murtada Elfadl,
Variety,
20 Mar. 2026
-
The violent earnestness is like a speaker-phone therapy session on a crowded subway.—
Samuel Hyland,
Pitchfork,
17 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
Preventing the entry of the Patriarch of Jerusalem and the Keeper of the Holy Land, moreover in a central solemnity for the faith such as Palm Sunday, constitutes an offense not only for believers, but for every community that recognizes religious freedom.—
Eric Mack,
FOXNews.com,
29 Mar. 2026
-
Jacir’s film, which was short-listed (but not nominated) for the Oscar for Best International Feature, has no use for art-film solemnity.—
Justin Chang,
New Yorker,
20 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Seriousness.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/seriousness. Accessed 1 Apr. 2026.
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