serious

I

(New American Roget's College Thesaurus)

adj. grave, momentous, solemn; earnest, resolute; important, weighty; alarming, critical. See importance. Ant., lightweight, insignificant.

II

(Roget's IV) modif.

1. [Involving danger]

Syn. grave, severe, pressing; see dangerous 1 , 2 .

2. [Involving earnestness]

Syn. solemn, grave, earnest, sedate, sober; see also solemn 1 .

Syn.- serious implies absorption in deep thought or involvement in something really important as distinguished from something frivolous or merely amusing [ he takes a serious interest in the theater ] ; grave implies the dignified weightiness of heavy responsibilities or cares [ a grave expression on his face ] ; solemn suggests an impressive or awe-inspiring seriousness [ a solemn ceremony ] ; sedate implies a dignified, quiet or composed, sometimes even prim seriousness [ a sedate clergyman ] ; earnest suggests a seriousness of purpose marked by sincerity and enthusiasm [ an earnest deSire to help ] ; sober implies a seriousness marked by temperance, self-control, emotional balance, etc. [ a sober criticism ]

III

(Roget's 3 Superthesaurus) a.

1. somber earnest, grave, sober, *meaning business, unsmiling, humorless, dour, stern, stony-faced, *no-nonsense, grim, staid.

2. weighty important, crucial, *heavy, no laughing matter, consequential, life-and-death, momentous, grave, grim, critical, dangerous.

3. sincere earnest, honest.

ANT.: 1. silly, foolish, lighthearted. 2. trivial, trifling, silly, inconsequential. 3. kidding

IV

(Roget's Thesaurus II) adjective 1. Full of or marked by dignity and seriousness: earnest1, grave2, sedate, sober, solemn, somber, staid. See ATTITUDE, HEAVY. 2. Marked by sober sincerity: businesslike, earnest1, no-nonsense, sobersided. Idiom: in earnest. See HEAVY, WORK. 3. Having great consequence or weight: earnest1, grave2, heavy, momentous, severe, weighty. See IMPORTANT. 4. Causing or marked by danger or pain, for example: dangerous, grave2, grievous, severe. See HELP. 5. Not easy to do, achieve, or master: arduous, difficult, hard, laborious, tall, tough, uphill. See EASY.