serious

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 last year.
2 be serious
a) if someone is serious about something, they say what they really mean and are not joking or pretending
 (+ about): I stopped laughing when I realized Jen was serious about it. | I'm serious! spoken (=used to emphasize that something is important): I'm serious, Kerry. You'd better listen! | deadly serious (=extremely serious)
b) spoken used to tell someone that what they have just said is silly or impossible: “We could make it from here to Florida if we drove all night.” “Be serious! It's a three day drive.” | you can't be serious!: “I thought I'd try to fix the car myself.” “You can't be serious!”
3 CAREFUL careful and thorough: I think this matter needs serious consideration. | a serious article
4 ROMANTIC RELATIONSHIP a serious romantic relationship is intended to continue for a long time: Oo, sounds like it's serious!
(+ about): Are you really serious about her then? | serious boyfriend/girlfriend: Don't even think about Peter. He has a serious girlfriend.
5 PERSON someone who is serious is always very sensible and quiet: He's a nice guy, but very serious.
6 IMPORTANT important: They agreed to have lunch before starting on the serious business.
7 serious money/exercise etc informal a large amount of money etc: I'll have to do some serious exercise before I can fit into that dress.
8 VERY GOOD (only before noun) informal very good and often expensive: He's got some serious stereo equipment!
9 SPORT/ACTIVITY (only before noun) someone very interested in something, and spending a lot of time doing it: a serious golfer | Any serious student of psychology should read this article.
10 WORRIED/UNHAPPY seeming slightly worried or unhappy: You look serious. What's wrong?
— seriousness noun (U)

Longman dictionary of contemporary English. 2004.

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Look at other dictionaries:

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  • 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

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  • 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

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  • 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 …   Etymology dictionary

  • 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

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