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a serious injury
a significant injury
a severe injury
a substantial injury
a major injury
an intense injury
serious questions
legitimate questions
sincere questions
genuine questions
sensible questions
tough questions
a serious concern
a substantial concern
a significant concern
a considerable concern
a major concern
an important concern
serious doubts
immense doubts
strong doubts
severe doubts
massive doubts
a serious effort
a huge effort
a considerable effort
a substantial effort
a real effort
a sincere effort

Synonym Chooser

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

Some common synonyms of serious are earnest, grave, sedate, sober, solemn, and staid. While all these words mean "not light or frivolous," serious implies a concern for what really matters.

a serious play about social injustice

In what contexts can earnest take the place of serious?

Although the words earnest and serious have much in common, earnest suggests sincerity or often zealousness of purpose.

an earnest reformer

When would grave be a good substitute for serious?

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

read the proclamation in a grave voice

When is it sensible to use sedate instead of serious?

While the synonyms sedate and serious are close in meaning, sedate implies a composed and decorous seriousness.

remained sedate amid the commotion

Where would sober be a reasonable alternative to serious?

The words sober and serious are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, sober stresses seriousness of purpose and absence of levity or frivolity.

a sober look at the state of our schools

When might solemn be a better fit than serious?

The synonyms solemn and serious are sometimes interchangeable, but solemn suggests an impressive gravity utterly free from levity.

a sad and solemn occasion

When is staid a more appropriate choice than serious?

In some situations, the words staid and serious 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 serious This jelly formula has that same bouncy vibe, delivering serious hydration with ingredients like jojoba seed oil. Allure Editors, Allure, 1 Mar. 2025 In San Diego, many serious rosarians fertilize with a plethora of fertilizers every two weeks commencing in mid-February through to mid-October. Rita Perwich, San Diego Union-Tribune, 1 Mar. 2025 Of course, the film addresses such serious issues as alcohol addiction and poverty. Georg Szalai, The Hollywood Reporter, 28 Feb. 2025 Monday's crash is the fifth serious aviation incident since late January, including the crash at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport near Washington, D.C., between an Army Black Hawk helicopter and an American Airlines passenger plane that left 67 dead. Josh Hammer, Newsweek, 18 Feb. 2025 See All Example Sentences for serious
Recent Examples of Synonyms for serious
Adjective
  • Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu displayed images of Shiri Bibas and her two young sons, Ariel and Kfir, during an address at a combat officers' graduation ceremony on Sunday, delivering a solemn message.
    Danielle Wallace, Fox News, 23 Feb. 2025
  • Language experts were consulted, solemn arguments had, brows were furrowed, everyone treated the whole thing awfully seriously.
    Nick Miller, The Athletic, 21 Feb. 2025
Adjective
  • The General Assembly has become the most important U.N. body on Ukraine because the Security Council has been paralyzed by Russia’s veto power.
    Edith M. Lederer, Chicago Tribune, 25 Feb. 2025
  • And so this awards show — the one that feels like a family reunion and that actually recognizes more than one or a few Black folks — can be the most important one if treat it as such.
    Kathleen Newman-Bremang, refinery29.com, 24 Feb. 2025
Adjective
  • Freezing temperatures can endanger health, particularly of vulnerable groups like children and the elderly, whilst snow can lead to dangerous driving conditions.
    Dan Perry, Newsweek, 1 Mar. 2025
  • And maybe keep them away from a dangerous young Pistons team in the first round.
    Mike Lupica, New York Daily News, 1 Mar. 2025
Adjective
  • But her origin story is compelling: Braverman was born in Ukraine, just weeks before the Chernobyl nuclear event, and was in severe respiratory distress soon after birth.
    John Werner, Forbes, 2 Mar. 2025
  • Konstantopoulos has Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome (EDS), a chronic condition that affects connective tissues and makes injuries more frequent and severe.
    Dan Perry, Newsweek, 2 Mar. 2025
Adjective
  • That's because a big tax break that could save you money faces an uncertain and confusing future in the Trump administration.
    Elizabeth Weise, USA TODAY, 24 Feb. 2025
  • Figuring out how to feel more at home with myself outside of skiing has been a bigger issue for me.
    Cindy Kuzma, SELF, 23 Feb. 2025
Adjective
  • Even as the cause of Mr. Grant’s death remains unknown, advocates of prison safety say that the strikes are creating hazardous conditions for inmates and warn that more deaths may occur if the labor dispute is not quickly resolved.
    Jay Root, New York Times, 24 Feb. 2025
  • North Carolina is also experiencing hazardous winter conditions, with an advisory in effect until 10 a.m. EST Friday for areas including Person, Granville, Vance, Warren, and surrounding counties.
    Tom Rogers, Newsweek, 21 Feb. 2025
Adjective
  • In the first, the scrappy Italian American reporter Nick falls for Andy, the earnest, hapless son of a press mogul.
    Olivia Waite, New York Times, 26 Feb. 2025
  • But in the end, whether Bishop was ever earnest or was always running an elaborate con is beside the point for Dixon.
    David Peisner, Rolling Stone, 23 Feb. 2025
Adjective
  • China's annual Singles' Day sales event, a nationwide shopping festival in October and November, often viewed as a consumer sentiment barometer, ran longer than usual and led to a 26.6% rise in sales in major e-commerce platforms, according to data provider Syntun.
    Harshita Mary Varghese and Casey Hall, USA TODAY, 21 Feb. 2025
  • Rampant crime, higher taxes, the highest cost of living in our nation, tent encampments in every major city, more fentanyl deaths, catastrophic fires, a broken home insurance market and people across our state are struggling to afford groceries and gas.
    Stepheny Price, Fox News, 20 Feb. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Serious.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/serious. Accessed 5 Mar. 2025.

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