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Synonym Chooser

How is the word solemn different from other adjectives like it?

Some common synonyms of solemn are earnest, grave, sedate, serious, sober, and staid. While all these words mean "not light or frivolous," solemn suggests an impressive gravity utterly free from levity.

a sad and solemn occasion

When is it sensible to use earnest instead of solemn?

While the synonyms earnest and solemn are close in meaning, earnest suggests sincerity or often zealousness of purpose.

an earnest reformer

When might grave be a better fit than solemn?

While in some cases nearly identical to solemn, grave implies both seriousness and dignity in expression or attitude.

read the proclamation in a grave voice

When would sedate be a good substitute for solemn?

Although the words sedate and solemn have much in common, sedate implies a composed and decorous seriousness.

remained sedate amid the commotion

Where would serious be a reasonable alternative to solemn?

In some situations, the words serious and solemn are roughly equivalent. However, serious implies a concern for what really matters.

a serious play about social injustice

In what contexts can sober take the place of solemn?

The words sober and solemn can be used in similar contexts, but sober stresses seriousness of purpose and absence of levity or frivolity.

a sober look at the state of our schools

When could staid be used to replace solemn?

The words staid and solemn are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, staid suggests a settled, accustomed sedateness and prim self-restraint.

a quiet and staid community

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 solemn Only the buzz of Israeli drones overhead filled the solemn silence. Freddie Clayton, NBC news, 7 June 2025 The score becomes grand and syrupy whenever there’s a big emotional revelation; characters deliver solemn soliloquies on the orderly beauty of math. Stephanie Zacharek, Time, 6 June 2025 For Roberto Gómez Fernandez, the challenge was for the series not to become a solemn, saintly tribute to the larger-than-life figure their father was. Carlos Aguilar, Los Angeles Times, 5 June 2025 The atmosphere inside took a solemn turn as fans filed out of the arena following Leon Draisaitl’s OT power-play goal. Kaitlyn Pohly, Miami Herald, 5 June 2025 See All Example Sentences for solemn
Recent Examples of Synonyms for solemn
Adjective
  • The far more imposing limit is MLS’s global standing.
    Jeff Rueter, The Athletic, 8 Feb. 2025
  • And on the other hand, in a world where most of their top arms remain healthy and effective, the Dodgers could possess one of the most imposing starting pitching staffs in recent memory.
    Jack Harris, Los Angeles Times, 18 Jan. 2025
Adjective
  • To be sure, there have been positive signs that the revival was working, not least because the Tata’s were prepared to deploy serious capital and effort to back its ambitions.
    Vasuki Shastry, Forbes.com, 29 June 2025
  • Historians often describe Flammarion more as a popularizer than a serious scientist, but this should not diminish his accomplishments.
    Matthew Shindell, Space.com, 29 June 2025
Adjective
  • His overjoyed demeanor starkly contrasted with his somber appearance in court just a day before when jurors said they were deadlocked on one of the five counts.
    Molly Crane-Newman, New York Daily News, 2 July 2025
  • However, while circumstances were smooth-sailing at the start, things quickly took a somber turn on July 2, 1937.
    Yasmeen Hamadeh, People.com, 2 July 2025
Adjective
  • From September 25-28, the Windy City hosts Chicago Gourmet one of the nation’s most distinguished food festivals.
    Judy Koutsky, Forbes.com, 28 June 2025
  • Developers feed their chatbot models on a torrent of material, much of it scraped from the web — everything from distinguished literary works to random babbling — as well as collections holding millions of books, articles, scientific papers and the like, some of it copyrighted.
    Michael Hiltzik, Los Angeles Times, 27 June 2025
Adjective
  • As the bow and stern sections tore free from one another, the ship’s contents were ejected and rained down across the ocean floor, dispersing everything from luggage and dinnerware to engine parts and personal belongings.
    Jordan Runtagh, People.com, 6 July 2025
  • The affable Carroll was the polar opposite of the stern hard-driving Parcells.
    Tribune Content Agency, The Orlando Sentinel, 5 July 2025
Adjective
  • Some traders said the numbers were less severe than analysts' bleak forecasts.
    Sabrina Valle, USA Today, 3 July 2025
  • No one is as funny and as bleak in the same sentence, or maybe even the same word.
    Literary Hub July 1, Literary Hub, 1 July 2025
Adjective
  • For me, to begin having dignified policies around border and immigration, there would have to be a commitment from state actors that human rights need to be a priority in how policies are developed.
    Lisa Deaderick, San Diego Union-Tribune, 29 June 2025
  • Bezos and Sanchez — who began an affair with each other while married to other people — could have celebrated their love for each other in a dignified private ceremony with close family and friends.
    Martha Ross, Mercury News, 26 June 2025
Adjective
  • The way this plays out is via a series of extremely earnest conversations about feelings, something women tend to be better at than men just given the way they are socialized.
    Rich Juzwiak, Time, 25 June 2025
  • That means energy prices may be volatile until conditions settle down – even as summer vacations start in earnest and a massive heat wave grips the central and eastern parts of the country.
    Andrea Riquier, USA Today, 23 June 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Solemn.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/solemn. Accessed 10 Jul. 2025.

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