serious

serious
serious mid-15c., "expressing earnest purpose or thought" (of persons), from M.Fr. sérieux "grave, earnest" (14c.), from L.L. seriosus, from L. serius "weighty, important, grave," probably from a PIE root *swer- (Cf. Lith. sveriu "to weigh, lift," svarus "heavy;" O.E. swære "heavy," Ger. schwer "heavy," Goth. swers "honored, esteemed," lit. "weighty"). As opposite of jesting, from 1712; as opposite of light (of music, theater, etc.), from 1762. Meaning "attended with danger" is from 1800.

Etymology dictionary. 2014.

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  • serious — I (devoted) adjective ardent, assiduous, decided, dedicated, determined, devout, dogged, dutiful, eager, earnest, faithful, fervent, firm, fixed, intent, loyal, passionate, purposeful, relentless, resolute, resolved, settled, sincere, steadfast,… …   Law dictionary

  • serious — serious, grave, solemn, somber, sedate, staid, sober, earnest may be applied to persons, their looks, or their acts with the meaning not light or frivolous but actually or seemingly weighed down by deep thought, heavy cares, or purposive or… …   New Dictionary of Synonyms

  • serious — [sir′ē əs] adj. [ME seryows < ML seriosus < L serius, grave, orig., prob. weighty, heavy < ? IE base * swer > OE swær, heavy, sad, Goth swers, important, orig., heavy] 1. of, showing, having, or caused by earnestness or deep thought;… …   English World dictionary

  • Serious — may refer to: * Serious (Duran Duran song), a single from the album Liberty * Serious (Duffy song) the fourth single of her debut album. * Serious (Gwen song) , a song from Gwen Stefani s album Love. Angel. Music. Baby. * Serious (TV series) , a… …   Wikipedia

  • Serious — Se ri*ous, a. [L. serius: cf. F. s[ e]rieux, LL. seriosus.] 1. Grave in manner or disposition; earnest; thoughtful; solemn; not light, gay, or volatile. [1913 Webster] He is always serious, yet there is about his manner a graceful ease. Macaulay …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • serious — ► ADJECTIVE 1) demanding or characterized by careful consideration or application. 2) solemn or thoughtful. 3) sincere and in earnest, rather than joking or half hearted. 4) significant or worrying in terms of danger or risk: serious injury. 5)… …   English terms dictionary

  • serious — [adj1] somber, humorless austere, bound, bound and determined*, businesslike, cold sober*, contemplative, deadpan*, deliberate, determined, downbeat*, earnest, funereal, genuine, go for broke*, grave, grim, honest, intent, long faced*, meditative …   New thesaurus

  • serious — se|ri|ous W1S1 [ˈsıəriəs US ˈsır ] adj ▬▬▬▬▬▬▬ 1¦(situation/problem)¦ 2 be serious 3¦(important)¦ 4¦(large amount)¦ 5¦(romantic relationship)¦ 6¦(person)¦ 7¦(sport/activity)¦ 8¦(very good)¦ 9¦(worried/unhappy)¦ ▬▬▬▬▬▬▬ [ …   Dictionary of contemporary English

  • serious — se|ri|ous [ sıriəs ] adjective *** ▸ 1 bad enough to worry you ▸ 2 deserving attention ▸ 3 not joking ▸ 4 careful and detailed ▸ 5 not laughing much ▸ 6 involving difficult ideas ▸ 7 involving strong feelings ▸ 8 caring about activity ▸ 9… …   Usage of the words and phrases in modern English

  • serious — adjective 1 SITUATION/PROBLEM a serious situation, problem, accident etc is extremely bad or dangerous: a serious illness | How serious do you think the situation is? | serious crime: The number of serious crimes has increased dramatically in the …   Longman dictionary of contemporary English

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