Synonyms of solemn

solemn

adjective

ˈsä-ləm 

1

as in imposing

having or showing a formal and serious or reserved manner

the director of the funeral home has a fittingly solemn demeanor

Synonyms & Similar Words

• imposing
• dignified
• distinguished
• decorous
• aristocratic
• staid
• stately
• elegant
• august
• handsome
• portly
• distingué
• somber
• proper
• seemly
• grim
• grave
• magisterial
• majestic
• po-faced
• sober
• noble
• lordly
• elevated

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• silly
• frivolous
• goofy
• undignified
• giddy
• improper
• coarse
• crude
• vulgar
• unseemly
• indecent
• uncouth
• flighty
• crass

2

as in serious

not joking or playful in mood or manner

solemn as a judge

Synonyms & Similar Words

• serious
• stern
• earnest
• sober
• unsmiling
• professional
• humorless
• staid
• sedate
• distinguished
• severe
• harsh
• grave
• strict
• po-faced
• weighty
• no-nonsense
• uncomic
• grim
• sobersided
• dignified
• businesslike
• serious-minded
• gloomy
• elevated

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• humorous
• playful
• jocular
• flippant
• facetious
• joking
• light
• funny
• ridiculous
• comical
• ludic
• riotous
• farcical
• hilarious
• comic
• flip
• hysterical
• ludicrous
• droll
• uproarious
• kittenish
• antic
• laughable
• lighthearted
• frivolous
• jesting
• risible
• goofy
• puerile
• screaming
• absurd
• silly
• foolish
• flighty
• fatuous
• insane
• sidesplitting
• scatterbrained
• mad
• preposterous
• unwise
• zany
• nonsensical
• harebrained
• senseless
• sappy
• crazy
• balmy
• nutty
• wacky
• asinine
• light-headed
• kooky
• witless
• jerky
• cuckoo
• loony
• daffy
• daft
• cockeyed
• brainless
• featherbrained
• dotty
• screwball
• weak-minded
• half-witted

3

as in somber

causing or marked by an atmosphere lacking in cheer

the Capitol's rotunda was draped in solemn decorations of a state funeral

Synonyms & Similar Words

• somber
• bleak
• dark
• lonely
• depressing
• depressive
• desolate
• darkening
• morbid
• murky
• lonesome
• funereal
• gray
• cold
• blue
• black
• lugubrious
• miserable
• elegiac
• sad
• sepulchral
• gloomy
• morose
• sullen
• cheerless
• chill
• depressed
• wretched
• melancholy
• glum
• dreary
• disconsolate
• dismal
• saturnine
• forlorn
• dire
• oppressive
• drear
• cloudy
• comfortless
• mournful
• tenebrous
• melancholic
• godforsaken
• plutonian
• unhappy
• dreich
• desperate
• Cimmerian
• mirthless
• grim
• sunless
• dull
• tenebrific
• sorrowful
• dim
• distressful
• woebegone
• dejected
• negative
• hopeless
• discouraging
• menacing
• inconsolable
• dismaying
• plaintive
• distressing
• dispiriting
• despondent
• low
• woeful
• upsetting
• disheartening
• pessimistic
• lamentable
• droopy
• hangdog
• down
• discomfiting
• dour
• drab
• colorless
• threatening
• lowering
• lowery

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• cheerful
• friendly
• bright
• festive
• cordial
• cheery
• joyous
• gay
• comforting
• joyful
• sunshiny
• merry
• jolly
• mirthful
• buoyant
• gay
• blithe
• optimistic
• hopeful
• heartwarming
• encouraging
• cheering
• blithesome
• jocund
• lighthearted
• lightsome

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

Recent Examples of solemn

The fireside audience takes in the punchline—a survival unscathed, a rescue, an injury, a fatality—in solemn contemplation. — Brian Laidlaw, Longreads, 1 Sep. 2026

The slow chimes of Big Ben sounded, and then the newsreader’s solemn voice with the headlines. — Helen Simpson, New Yorker, 30 Aug. 2026

In addition, the new king will receive a solemn ecclesiastical blessing in Nidaros Cathedral in Trondheim. — Stefania Conrieri, Vanity Fair, 28 Aug. 2026

On a profoundly historic day the president has put his own vanity above participating in a solemn and significant moment. — New York Daily News Editorial Board, New York Daily News, 28 Aug. 2026