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- pronunciation:
- si
ri
 s
- features:
- Word Explorer
| part of speech: |
adjective |
| definition 1: |
When you make a serious decision, you make a decision that you have to think about a lot. And you have to think about it carefully because making the wrong decision could be a really bad thing.
Cody's father has to make a serious decision about whether to move his family to another city so he can start a new job or to stay here and keep his old job that he doesn't like.- similar words:
- careful, sincere
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| definition 2: |
If your dad has a serious look on his face, he is not laughing or smiling. If an occasion or event is serious, it is a time when people are not laughing or smiling. They might be worried, or they are thinking deeply or sadly about something.
Hailey's mom looked so serious that Hailey was afraid that something really bad had happened.It was a serious time for the family when Noah's grandfather was in the hospital.- antonyms:
- amusing, cheerful, comic, funny, humorous, light, merry
- similar words:
- humorless, severe
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| definition 3: |
When something is serious, it is not a small thing. It is important and not funny.
Water pollution is a serious topic.- synonyms:
- grave, important
- antonyms:
- minor, ridiculous, trivial
- similar words:
- great, significant, vital
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| definition 4: |
If something is serious, it is bad or dangerous. It can cause a lot of harm or damage. When someone has a serious illness, it means that they might need a lot of time or treatment to recover, or they might even die.
Lori's aunt had a serious injury after she was in that car accident. It took her many months to recover.The people in the town prepared for the serious storm that was heading their way.- synonyms:
- critical, dangerous, grave
- antonyms:
- minor
- similar words:
- bad, harmful, heavy, severe
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| definition 5: |
If someone is serious when they say something, then they are telling the truth and they are not joking.
I thought Emma was joking when she said she was afraid of the dark, but she was serious. She really IS afraid of the dark.- synonyms:
- genuine
- similar words:
- honest, sincere
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| related words: |
important, nasty, urgent |
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| derivations: |
seriously (adv.), seriousness (n.) |
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