Definitions for serious
ˈsɪər i əsse·ri·ous

Princeton's WordNet(5.00 / 1 vote)Rate this definition:

1. serious(adj)

   concerned with work or important matters rather than play or trivialities

   "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!"

2. serious(adj)

   of great consequence

   "marriage is a serious matter"

3. dangerous, grave, grievous, serious, severe, life-threatening(adj)

   causing fear or anxiety by threatening great harm

   "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"

4. good, serious(adj)

   appealing to the mind

   "good music"; "a serious book"

5. unplayful, serious, sober(adj)

   completely lacking in playfulness

6. serious(adj)

   requiring effort or concentration; complex and not easy to answer or solve

   "raised serious objections to the proposal"; "the plan has a serious flaw"

Wiktionary(0.00 / 0 votes)Rate this definition:

1. serious(Adjective)

   Without humor or expression of happiness; grave in manner or disposition; earnest; thoughtful; solemn.

   It was a surprise to see the captain, who had always seemed so serious, laugh so heartily.

2. serious(Adjective)

   Important; weighty; not trifling; leaving no room for play; needing great attention; critical.

   This is a serious problem. We'll need our best experts.

3. serious(Adjective)

   Really intending what is said; being in earnest; not jesting or deceiving; meaningful.

   After all these years, we're finally getting serious attention.

Origin: From seryows, from serieux, from seriosus, an extension of serius, from swēr-. Cognate with schwer, swær. More at swear, sweer.

Webster Dictionary(5.00 / 1 vote)Rate this definition:

1. Serious(adj)

   grave in manner or disposition; earnest; thoughtful; solemn; not light, gay, or volatile

2. Serious(adj)

   really intending what is said; being in earnest; not jesting or deceiving

3. Serious(adj)

   important; weighty; not trifling; grave

4. Serious(adj)

   hence, giving rise to apprehension; attended with danger; as, a serious injury

Freebase(0.00 / 0 votes)Rate this definition:

1. Serious

   "Serious" is the 22nd single by the English rock band Duran Duran. It was released 1 October 1990 as the second single from the Liberty album.

Chambers 20th Century Dictionary(0.00 / 0 votes)Rate this definition:

1. Serious

   sē′ri-us, adj. solemn: in earnest: important: attended with danger: weighty: professedly religious.—adjs. Sē′rio-com′ic, -al, partly serious and partly comical.—adv. Sē′riously, gravely, deeply: without levity.—n. Sē′riousness. [Fr. serieux—L. serius, akin to severus, severe.]

Editors Contribution(0.00 / 0 votes)Rate this definition:

1. serious

   Something that is important.

   The teacher advised her secondary school pupils their exams this year were serious as they would set their standard for the next academic year.

   Submitted by MaryC on June 6, 2016  

British National Corpus

1. Spoken Corpus Frequency

   Rank popularity for the word 'serious' in Spoken Corpus Frequency: #793

2. Written Corpus Frequency

   Rank popularity for the word 'serious' in Written Corpus Frequency: #1139

3. Adjectives Frequency

   Rank popularity for the word 'serious' in Adjectives Frequency: #92

How to pronounce serious?

1. 

   Alex

   US English

   

   Daniel

   British

   

   Karen

   Australian

   

   Veena

   Indian

How to say serious in sign language?

Numerology

1. Chaldean Numerology

   The numerical value of serious in Chaldean Numerology is: 9

2. Pythagorean Numerology

   The numerical value of serious in Pythagorean Numerology is: 7

Examples of serious in a Sentence

1. Jeffrey Holland:

   These are serious issues.

2. The CSU:

   It is serious, very serious.

3. Swedish Prime Minister Stefan Löfven:

   It's a very serious situation.

4. Jonathan Adler:

   I think that's a serious argument.

5. Freedom Caucus:

   Obviously we have serious concerns.

Images & Illustrations of serious

Popularity rank by frequency of use