serious

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)¦
▬▬▬▬▬▬▬
[Date: 1400-1500; : French; Origin: sérieux, from Late Latin seriosus, from Latin serius]
1.) ¦(SITUATION/PROBLEM)¦
a serious situation, problem, accident etc is extremely bad or dangerous
▪ the serious problem of unemployment
▪ Luckily, the damage was not serious.
serious injury/illness/accident etc
▪ a serious accident on the freeway
▪ Oil spills pose a serious threat to marine life.
▪ Serious crimes have increased dramatically.
2.) be serious
a) if someone is serious about something they say, they really mean it and are not joking or pretending
be serious about
▪ Is she serious about giving up her job?
I'm serious
(=used to emphasize that you mean what you say)
deadly/dead serious
(=definitely not joking)
▪ She sounded dead serious.
b) spoken used to tell someone that what they have just said is silly or that you do not believe it
▪ 'It's enough to make anyone commit murder!' 'Be serious, Jo.'
▪ Marry Frank? You can't be serious!
3.) ¦(IMPORTANT)¦
important and needing a lot of thought or attention
▪ This is a very serious matter .
▪ the serious business of earning a living
▪ Be quiet, Jim. This is serious.
▪ a serious article
serious attention/consideration/thought
(=careful and thorough attention etc)
▪ I'll give your suggestion serious consideration.
4.) ¦(LARGE AMOUNT)¦ [only before noun] informal
used to emphasize that you are talking about a large amount of something
▪ The President was in serious trouble .
▪ In industry, you can earn serious money .
5.) ¦(ROMANTIC RELATIONSHIP)¦
a serious romantic relationship is likely to continue for a long time
▪ It's serious - they've been seeing each other for six months.
serious about
▪ Are you really serious about her?
serious boyfriend/girlfriend
6.) ¦(PERSON)¦
someone who is serious is very quiet and sensible
7.) ¦(SPORT/ACTIVITY)¦ [only before noun]
very interested in an activity or subject, and spending a lot of time doing it
▪ He's become a serious golfer since he retired.
▪ Chris is a serious photographer.
8.) ¦(VERY GOOD)¦ [only before noun] informal
very good and often expensive
▪ He's got a serious car!
9.) ¦(WORRIED/UNHAPPY)¦
slightly worried or unhappy
▪ You look serious. What's wrong?

Dictionary of contemporary English. 2013.

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Synonyms:
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