adjective
- Concerned with work or important matters rather than play or trivialities.
- usage: "a serious student of history"; "a serious attempt to learn to ski"; "gave me a serious look"; "a serious young man"; "are you serious or joking"; "Don't be so serious"
- Of great consequence.
- usage: "marriage is a serious matter"
- Causing fear or anxiety by threatening great harm.
- usage: "a dangerous operation"; "a grave situation"; "a grave illness"; "grievous bodily harm"; "a serious wound"; "a serious turn of events"; "a severe case of pneumonia"; "a life-threatening disease"
- synonyms: dangerous, grave, grievous, severe, life-threatening
- Appealing to the mind.
- usage: "good music"; "a serious book"
- synonyms: good
- Completely lacking in playfulness.
- Requiring effort or concentration; complex and not easy to answer or solve.
- usage: "raised serious objections to the proposal"; "the plan has a serious flaw"
WordNet 3.0 © 2006 by Princeton University
| APA | WordNet. (2010). serious. Retrieved September 20, 2026, from http://smartdefine.org/serious/definitions/1183267 |
| Chicago | WordNet. 2010. "serious" http://smartdefine.org/serious/definitions/1183267 (accessed September 20, 2026). |
| Harvard | WordNet 2010, serious, Smart Define, viewed 20 September, 2026, <http://smartdefine.org/serious/definitions/1183267>. |
| MLA | WordNet. "serious" 23 October 2010. Web. 20 September 2026. <http://smartdefine.org/serious/definitions/1183267> |