GRAVE Synonyms: 298 Similar and Opposite Words

Q: How is the word 'grave' different from other adjectives like it?

Some common synonyms of grave are earnest , sedate , serious , sober , solemn , and staid . While all these words mean "not light or frivolous," grave implies both seriousness and dignity in expression or attitude. // read the proclamation in a grave voice

Q: When can 'earnest' be used instead of 'grave'?

The synonyms earnest and grave are sometimes interchangeable, but earnest suggests sincerity or often zealousness of purpose. // an earnest reformer

Q: Where would 'sedate' be a reasonable alternative to 'grave'?

The words sedate and grave can be used in similar contexts, but sedate implies a composed and decorous seriousness. // remained sedate amid the commotion

Q: When would 'serious' be a good substitute for 'grave'?

While the synonyms serious and grave are close in meaning, serious implies a concern for what really matters. // a serious play about social injustice

Q: In what contexts can 'sober' take the place of 'grave'?

Although the words sober and grave have much in common, sober stresses seriousness of purpose and absence of levity or frivolity. // a sober look at the state of our schools

Q: When is 'solemn' a more appropriate choice than 'grave'?

The words solemn and grave are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, solemn suggests an impressive gravity utterly free from levity. // a sad and solemn occasion

Q: When might 'staid' be a better fit than 'grave'?

In some situations, the words staid and grave are roughly equivalent. However, staid suggests a settled, accustomed sedateness and prim self-restraint. // a quiet and staid community

grave 1 of 3

noun

ˈgrāv

Definition of grave next

as in tomb

a final resting place for a dead person the forlorn boy put flowers on his mother's grave

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

as in death

the permanent stopping of all the vital bodily activities a rock star who found his early grave in a plane crash

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in dead

the state of being dead a terrible fear of the grave

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grave

2 of 3

adjective

ˈgrāv

as in serious

having a matter of importance as its topic leaving gossip and celebrities to other magazines, this journal focuses on the grave issues confronting the nation

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as in dangerous

involving potential loss or injury going over Niagara Falls poses a grave danger

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in solemn

not joking or playful in mood or manner when I asked him how his dog was doing, he looked grave and said, "Not good"

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as in deep

having a low musical pitch or range a grave hexachord

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grave

3 of 3

verb

ˈgrāv

as in to etch

to cut (as letters or designs) on a hard surface the doomed climber graved his initials into the rock face

Synonyms & Similar Words

Synonym Chooser

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

Some common synonyms of grave are earnest, sedate, serious, sober, solemn, and staid. While all these words mean "not light or frivolous," grave implies both seriousness and dignity in expression or attitude.

read the proclamation in a grave voice

When can earnest be used instead of grave?

The synonyms earnest and grave are sometimes interchangeable, but earnest suggests sincerity or often zealousness of purpose.

an earnest reformer

Where would sedate be a reasonable alternative to grave?

The words sedate and grave can be used in similar contexts, but sedate implies a composed and decorous seriousness.

remained sedate amid the commotion

When would serious be a good substitute for grave?

While the synonyms serious and grave are close in meaning, serious implies a concern for what really matters.

a serious play about social injustice

In what contexts can sober take the place of grave?

Although the words sober and grave have much in common, sober stresses seriousness of purpose and absence of levity or frivolity.

a sober look at the state of our schools

When is solemn a more appropriate choice than grave?

The words solemn and grave are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, solemn suggests an impressive gravity utterly free from levity.

a sad and solemn occasion

When might staid be a better fit than grave?

In some situations, the words staid and grave are roughly equivalent. However, 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 grave

Noun

The very act of looking at some objects—sacred artifacts, caricatures of the enslaved, or human remains robbed from graves—could be a violent, literal objectification born of European bravado. —

The Editors, JSTOR Daily, 8 Jan. 2025 Subscribe to Smithsonian magazine now for just $19.99 This article is a selection from the January/February 2025 issue of Smithsonian magazine This was not a grave but a building, and not Bronze Age but older—Neolithic. —

Peter Ross, Smithsonian Magazine, 8 Jan. 2025

Adjective

Read Article > Remember when the Trump administration thought TikTok was a grave threat to America? —

Vox Staff, Vox, 10 Jan. 2025 The film weaves elements of feng shui and traditional shamanism in its story of an ominous grave investigation. —

Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 10 Jan. 2025 See all Example Sentences for grave

Recent Examples of Synonyms for grave

Noun

In it, a small baby lies on a tomb of red velvet, her skin and dress a rocky gray (Eguiguren Arte de Hispanomérica, D10) and eye sockets blank, an icy contrast to the fresh roses and wildflowers with which she is adorned.

— Walker Mimms, New York Times, 23 Jan. 2025
On the thirteenth-century tomb of Eleanor of Aquitaine, she is shown wide awake and reading, while her dull and kingly husband sleeps for all eternity.

— Adam Gopnik, The New Yorker, 20 Jan. 2025