† seriousadj.1
Obsolete.
Arranged or occurring in series or sequence, serial; continuous.
ΚΠ
c1425 Bk. Found. St. Bartholomew's (1923) 7 (MED) By dremys many secretis of Goddis wille hath come to the knowleche of men In the seryous scripture of the olde and newe testamentis, as nat onys but oftyn we haue redde.
a1439 J. Lydgate Fall of Princes (Bodl. 263) ii. l. 4477 Wher is Lucan, that maketh mencioun Off al his conquest be cerious writyng?
c1487 J. Skelton tr. Diodorus Siculus Bibliotheca Historica iv. 296 The serious ordryng and motive contynuall of the hevenly starres be perpetually enduryng in theire naturall cours.
c1487 J. Skelton tr. Diodorus Siculus Bibliotheca Historica iv. 339 So that after the ceryous ordre of our bokes byfore recyted in the premysses, the fourthe boke we haue now fynysshyd.
This is a new entry (OED Third Edition, March 2013; most recently modified version published online December 2020).
seriousadj.2n.adv.
/ˈsɪərɪəs/, U.S. /ˈsɪriəs/ A. adj.2
1. † c. Steady, reliable. Obsolete.
a. Of a person: having a grave or solemn disposition, as a permanent attribute or tendency; of an earnest nature; having depth or solidity of character; (now) esp. thoughtful, responsible; not blithe or carefree.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > emotion > suffering > dejection > melancholy > seriousness or solemnity > [adjective]
seinec1330
sober1362
unfeastlyc1386
murec1390
unlaughter-milda1400
sadc1400
solemnyc1420
solemned1423
serious1440
solemnc1449
solenc1460
solemnel?1473
moy1487
demure1523
grave1549
staid1557
sage1564
sullen1583
weighty1602
solid1632
censoriousa1637
(as) grave (also solemn, etc.) as a judge1650
untriumphant1659
setc1660
agelastic1666
austere1667
humourless1671
unlaughing1737
smileless1740
untriflinga1743
untittering1749
steady1759
dun1797
antithalian1818
dreich1819
laughterless1825
unsmiling1826
laughless1827
unfestive1844
sober-sided1847
gleeless1850
unfarcical1850
mome1855
deedy1895
button-down1959
buttoned-down1960
straight-faced1975
Promptorium Parvulorum (Harl. 221) 453 Seryows, sad and feythefulle, seriosus.
1530 J. Palsgrave Lesclarcissement 324/1 Seryouse ernest, serieux.
1619 F. Beaumont & J. Fletcher King & No King iii. sig. G2v The King is serious, And cannot now admit your vanities.
?a1645 A. Stafford Just Apol. in Life Blessed Virgin (1860) p. xxxiv The faire sereous Prince wee are now blest in.
1712 J. Arbuthnot App. to John Bull Still in Senses ii. 10 Shaking off his old serious Friends, and keeping Company with Buffoons and Pick-pockets.
1790 Edinb. Mag. Jan. 17/2 Man is serious—woman is gay.
1882 T. Mozley Reminisc. Oriel (ed. 2) I. 64 He was too serious to smile; indeed, I cannot remember him ever smiling except sadly.
1897 T. C. Allbutt et al. Syst. Med. IV. 619 Such a dietary, adapted for an adult man, is little irksome to any serious patient.
1906 R. H. Davis Dictator i., in Farces 28 Is he..a sport, or is he a serious chap—some of those missionaries, you know, rather go in for being serious.
1957 M. McCarthy Memories Catholic Girlhood 174 She was a serious girl, in her own inscrutable way; she sang in the choir and was respected by the school principal.
2011 Vanity Fair (N.Y.) May 182/1 While his brother, Emilio, is serious,..Charlie..is a wonderful mix of nerd and rebel.
b. Of behaviour, thought, etc.: characteristic of such a person; grave, solemn, earnest; deep, not light or superficial.
ΚΠ
1532 T. More Confut. Tyndale in Wks. 480/2 Saint Paule woulde not haue made so serious and earnest remembrance of the putting vpon of the handes..if [etc.].
1608 J. Day Law-trickes i. sig. A3 My serious meditations haue out-watch'd, The glorious tapers.
1663 A. Marvell Let. 20 July in Poems & Lett. (1971) II. 39 I do hereby with my last and seriousest thoughts salute you.
1710 Tatler No. 222 I have taken that Matter into my serious Consideration.
1751 W. Warburton Let. 22 Sept. in Lett. Late Eminent Prelate (1809) xxxv. 86 I would recommend to your more serious perusal a little French book.
1772 J. Wedgwood Let. 23 Aug. in Sel. Lett. (1965) 130 I have had several serious talks with our Men at the Ornamental works.
1848 A. Brontë Tenant of Wildfell Hall II. xi. 192 Perhaps, if she used a little gentle, but serious remonstrance with her husband, it might be of some service.
1881 C. E. Clement Eleanor Maitland vii. 82 We have not had a serious conversation since that in Florence.
1940 J. Buchan Memory Hold-the-Door ix. 221 I had to give the matter [of entering politics] serious thought.
2000 N. Henderson Old Friends & Mod. Instances (2001) v. 70 This flippant picture I have given..should not lead anyone to overlook his serious purposes in life.
ΘΚΠ
society > morality > duty or obligation > recognition of duty > faithfulness or trustworthiness > [adjective]
soothfastc825
truefastOE
i-treowec1000
unfakenOE
trueOE
sickerc1100
trigc1175
strustya1250
steel to the (very) backa1300
true as steela1300
certainc1325
well-provedc1325
surec1330
traistc1330
tristc1330
trustya1350
faithfula1382
veryc1385
sada1387
discreet1387
trust1389
trothfulc1390
tristya1400
proveda1425
good-heartedc1425
well-trusted?a1439
tristfulc1440
authorizablea1475
faithworthy?1526
tentik1534
fidele1539
truthfulc1550
suresby1553
responsible1558
trestc1560
reliable1569
cocksurea1575
sound1581
trustful1582
truepenny1589
true (also good, sure) as touch1590
probable1596
confident1605
trustable1606
axiopistical1611
loyala1616
reposeful1627
confiding1645
fiducial1647
laudable1664
safe1667
accountable1683
serious1693
sponsible1721
dependable1730
unfailing1798
truthya1802
trustworthy1829
all right1841
stand-up1841
falsehood-free1850
right1856
proven1872
bankable1891
secure1954
1693 Philos. Trans. (Royal Soc.) 17 788 I have been told by very serious Planters, that 30 or 40 years since,..the Thunder was more fierce.
2. † b. Of a room: reserved for purposes of business. Obsolete. rare.
a. Of an action, occupation, etc.: requiring earnest thought; demanding or characterized by careful consideration or application; performed with earnestness of purpose.In later use sometimes colloquial without implication of earnestness of purpose: intense, determined.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > attention and judgement > attention > earnest attention, concentration > [adjective] > requiring serious attention
serious1531
severe1605
incumbent1651
strong1670
solid1700
1531 T. Elyot Bk. named Gouernour i. xx. sig. Kviii Socrates..was nat ashamed to account daunsinge amonge the seriouse disciplines.
1598 Riddles of Heraclitus & Democritus Pref. sig. Av Serious pastimes For all manner men.
a1616 W. Shakespeare Comedy of Errors (1623) ii. ii. 29 Your sawcinesse will iest vpon my loue, And make a Common of my serious howres. View more context for this quotation
a1625 J. Fletcher Womans Prize iii. iv, in F. Beaumont & J. Fletcher Comedies & Trag. (1647) sig. Ooooo4/2 Row. She made a puppy of me... Bya. She must doe so sometimes, and oftentimes; Love were too serious else.
1707 E. Ward Wooden World Dissected 35 He..makes Cards and Dice his serious Entertainment.
1825 C. Lamb in London Mag. Apr. 512 I have played at serious whist with Mr. Liston.
1825 Lancet 8 Oct. 76/1 To encourage you in the ardent and serious pursuit after this most important science.
1849 G. G. Foster N.Y. in Slices xvii. 68 Eating is a serious business—especially when you have but sixpence and no idea whether the next one has been coined.
1884 Manch. Examiner 26 May 6/2 Perhaps more serious reading would then dethrone the eternal novel.
1957 Life 11 Nov. 160/2 Some open-air socializing as a prelude to some serious indoor partying later.
1962 K. Amis Let. 20 June (2000) 604 Now that the bloody undergraduates have all gone away I can start doing some serious work.
1980 J. Krantz Princess Daisy (1992) ii. 8 [They] returned to Paris, where Margo had serious shopping to finish before their ship sailed.
2006 New Scientist 29 July 45/1 Airlines have never put much serious effort into getting people onto planes efficiently.
ΘΚΠ
society > occupation and work > business affairs > [adjective] > used for business
serious1629
1629 F. Quarles Argalus & Parthenia i. 40 The treacherous Lady steps aside, Into her serious closet.
3.
a. Weighty, grave; important, significant, of great consequence.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > attention and judgement > importance > [adjective] > grave or serious
heavy971
highOE
earnestfula1400
solemn1420
weighty1489
ponderousa1500
chargeablea1513
serious1531
earnest1533
gravous1535
capitala1538
deep1598
grave1824
the mind > attention and judgement > importance > [adjective] > not little or trivial
serious1782
non-trivial1940
1531 T. Elyot Bk. named Gouernour i. xiii. sig. Giv Mixting serious mater with thynges that were pleasaunt.
1584 B. R. tr. Herodotus Famous Hyst. i. f. 11 Ether permit me to..make one in ye voiage, or alleage some more wayghty & seryous reason why you retayne me.
a1610 J. Healey tr. Theophrastus Characters iv. 16 in tr. Epictetus Manuall (1636) Who distrusting his friends and familiars, in serious affairs adviseth with his servants.
1687 A. Lovell tr. J. de Thévenot Trav. into Levant Pref. sig. b2v So many different Employments..have not at all diverted him from the Study of the most serious and difficult matters.
1758 G. Washington Let. in Writings (1889) II. 34 Differences..which..may be productive of the most serious consequences.
1769 W. Blackstone Comm. Laws Eng. IV. 130 Voluntary escapes, by..connivance of the officer, are a much more serious offence.
1782 J. Warton Ess. on Pope (new ed.) II. xii. 380 Swift was always reading lectures of œconomy..to his poetical friends. A shilling, says he, is a serious thing.
1791 J. Smeaton Narr. Edystone Lighthouse §86 To level the Sugar-Loaf to its base, would of itself be a serious work.
1813 J. Austen Pride & Prejudice III. iv. 64 Something has occurred of a most unexpected and serious nature. View more context for this quotation
1888 W. S. Caine Trip round World xxv. 382 This problem is serious enough at home; but in India,..it overshadows the whole country.
1942 ‘M. Fitt’ Requiem for Robert (1948) ii. 49 This is a very serious allegation.
1979 O. Davies Omni Bk. of Space 95 Skeptics..pointed to a serious flaw in the concept.
1990 J. Masson Final Anal. vii. 138 The serious issue of child sexual abuse.
2006 Courier-Mail (Brisbane) 13 July 21/1 The..report..raised serious concerns about..the university's relationship with its commercial partner.
b. Of an injury, condition, etc.: significant or worrying; giving cause for anxiety or concern; grave, threatening, or dangerous.
ΘΚΠ
the world > health and disease > ill health > a disease > characteristics > [adjective] > violent or severe
grimc900
strongeOE
grievousc1290
burning1393
acutea1398
maliciousa1398
peracutea1398
sorea1400
wicked14..
malign?a1425
vehement?a1425
malignousc1475
angrya1500
cacoethe?1541
eager?1543
virulent1563
malignant1568
raging1590
roaring1590
furious1597
grassant1601
hearty1601
sharp1607
main1627
generous1632
perperacute1647
serious1655
ferine1666
bad1705
severe1725
unfavourable1782
grave1888
1655 F. Osborne Advice to Son i. §58. 28 Serious injuries seldome happening but upon premeditation.
1781 E. Gibbon Decline & Fall III. xxvii. 11 The serious illness which threatened his life.
1798 R. Douglas Gen. View Agric. Roxburgh & Selkirk 150 Cattle..are seized frequently with a serious and alarming disease called the wood-ill.
1800 E. Hervey Mourtray Family IV. 260 As well as she had ever been since her serious illness.
1891 Daily News 21 Nov. 3/5 He was badly thrown... It is feared that his condition is serious.
1951 G. Heyer Quiet Gentleman xi. 166 I am relieved to see that your lordship has sustained no serious injury.
1992 N.Y. Times 14 June i. 1/1 At least seven patients have died and 185 others have suffered serious or life-threatening complications from the procedure.
2011 Daily Tel. 24 Mar. 10/1 Melanoma—the most serious form of skin cancer.
c. Substantial, considerable, or impressive in quantity or extent; great, large, abundant. In later use sometimes colloquial or humorous.
ΘΚΠ
the world > relative properties > quantity > greatness of quantity, amount, or degree > [adjective] > considerable in amount or degree
goodeOE
fairOE
goodlyc1275
largea1375
no littlea1413
substantial1413
unleast?1440
prettya1475
reasonablea1500
substantious1545
substantive1575
sensible1581
pretty and ——1596
goody1597
greatish1611
considerable1651
sonsy1721
respectable1736
smart1750
quite a little ——1763
gey1796
smartish1799
canny1805
serious1810
right smart1825
dunnamuch1831
snug1833
tidy1839
bonnyish1855
largish1872
a nice little ——1891
significant1898
healthy1901
beaucoup1917
the world > space > extension in space > measurable spatial extent > largeness > [adjective]
unlittleeOE
mickleeOE
greateOE
mucha1154
mainc1275
boldc1300
fadec1330
largec1392
tallc1430
big1444
masterfula1450
grand1452
largy1558
fine1590
bonnya1600
large-sized1628
roomly1682
lumping?1706
maun1743
strapping1827
barn door1829
serious1843
jumboesque1893
jumbo1897
economy-sized1930
L1942
jumbo-size1949
economy size1950
1810 G. Crabbe Borough xiii. 180 Serious Sums in private Pleasures spent.
1835 A. Alison Hist. Europe during French Revol. IV. xxx. 336 The light infantry of the enemy, which was..making serious progress.
1843 Artizan June 127/2 An engine of serious size.
1884 Pall Mall Gaz. 11 Sept. 1/2 All vessels of serious tonnage must lie at the anchorage, about twelve miles by river from the city.
1908 J. J. Hissey Eng. Holiday with Car & Camera xvi. 298 Some ten miles away, not a serious distance on a car.
1941 K. A. Porter Let. 23 Jan. (1990) iv. 191 I shall really have my first serious money on my contracts.
1982 S. Brett Murder Unprompted (1984) ii. 11 This relentless rehearsal made serious inroads into his drinking time.
1994 D. F. Wallace Supposedly Fun Thing I'll never do Again (1997) 93 Cows have some serious nostrils going on, gaping and wet and pink or black.
2005 Independent 24 Sept. (Mag.) 64/2 The basic brief..was to plant and produce a serious amount of fruit and veg.
4.
a. Earnestly keen or determined on a particular object, occupation, etc.; dedicated, committed. Also occasionally colloquial or humorous.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > will > wish or inclination > willingness > [adjective] > earnest
serious1567
1567 J. Maplet Greene Forest Ep. Ded. sig. Av Julius Cæsar,..serious after the inquisition of good Discipline.
1576 A. Fleming tr. Isocrates in Panoplie Epist. 178 If I should seeme serious, in doing seruice to the aduauncement of mine owne wit.
1576 A. Fleming tr. Isocrates in Panoplie Epist. 186 They assaulted me with more serious supplications, not holding me..excusable.
1671 J. Milton Paradise Regain'd i. 203 All my mind was set Serious to learn and know. View more context for this quotation
1793 Universal Mag. Feb. 144/1 If ministers had been serious, they had conducted themselves strangely in their desire for peace.
1832 J. Mendham Life & Pontificate St. Pius V vii. 232 The abhorrence of a vacuum in the hours of the idle will reconcile them to any labour, whatever its fatuity, and make them serious in the pursuit of it.
1886 J. Shehyn Railways & Waterways 46 If we are serious about securing a through traffic, we must with all possible despatch offer..terminal facilities for the handling of a large trade.
1918 Vanity Fair Oct. 112/2 On the other side of the deck, a little group of serious drinkers will be supporting each other's assertions that [etc.].
1937 Life 26 July 11/3 (advt.) They're serious about their careers and some day we will all probably be wearing their creations.
1969 Times (San Mateo, Calif.) 27 Oct. 34/1 (advt.) New 360 racers available for the serious motocrosser.
1996 Cycle Touring & Campaigning Apr. 9/1 The NCS is serious in its aim to put the conditions in place for cycling to flourish once again.
b. Of a romantic or sexual relationship: characterized by long-term commitment; not casual or temporary; (of a person) (with about) intending to have a long-term relationship with a specified person. Also: designating a partner with whom one has such a relationship.
ΚΠ
1841 E. C. Grey Baronet's Daughters xix. 195 I used to think the flirtation only a recreation; but I see now it is getting serious.
1867 S. L. Blanchard Yesterday & To-day in India v. 117 As soon as things began to get serious with a man, she cut him.
1895 Harper's Mag. Feb. 423/2 She had a way of saying, ‘Certainly, when we're married’, a dozen times an evening. Her words seemed to suggest that she was trying to trap him into a serious relationship.
1915 A. Rives Shadows of Flames xxxii. 194 Marco, despite his luckless marriage..she considered free to form a new and serious relationship if he so desired.
1961 J. E. Myer Jewish-Gentile Courtships ix. 153 When we got serious about each other, I told my parents right away.
1985 J. Kineny & A. Caso Young Rocky xiii. 179 The two went out several times. It became clear to Mary that he was really serious about her.
c1996 C. Crowe Jerry Maguire (film script) 13 I've always hit a wall at 18 months. Every serious girlfriend lasts 18 months.
2008 Post (S. Afr.) (Nexis) 3 Dec. (Leisure section) 16 Decent Hindu man, 31, seeks women between 23 and 30 years for friendship and if destiny so desires, a serious relationship.
5.
a. Of features, demeanour, looks, etc.: expressing earnestness, seriousness, or concern; solemn, grave, thoughtful. Of a person: having such a demeanour; displaying solemnity or seriousness.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > emotion > suffering > dejection > melancholy > seriousness or solemnity > [adjective] > of appearance
sada1375
serious1601
solemna1616
1601 B. Jonson Fountaine of Selfe-love ii. iii. sig. D3v A serious, solempne, and supercilious face, ful of..square grauity.
a1661 T. Fuller Worthies (1662) Staff. 47 Queen Elizabeth was serious (I dare not say sullen) and out of good humour.
1768 L. Sterne Sentimental Journey II. 104 A tall figure of a philosophic serious, adult look.
1782 W. Cowper Conversation in Poems 227 A shallow brain behind a serious mask.
1839 C. Dickens Nicholas Nickleby x. 87 A good portrait..must be either serious or smirking, or it's no portrait at all.
1860 ‘G. Eliot’ Mill on Floss II. iv. iii. 174 ‘But, Bob,’ said Maggie, looking serious, ‘that's cheating.’
1925 Woman's World (Chicago) Apr. 58/3 In the dark she saw Abner's brown eyes laughing... Then his eyes were serious.
1940 E. Hemingway For whom Bell Tolls xliii. 471 Lieutenant Berrendo, watching the trail, came riding up, his thin face serious and grave.
2004 C. Bird in Slightly Foxed Autumn 13 The doctor concurs with a serious nod and then rushes off.
b. Chiefly poetic and literary. Inducing or associated with grave or solemn thoughts. Now rare.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > emotion > suffering > dejection > melancholy > seriousness or solemnity > [adjective] > expressive of seriousness or solemnity
grave1585
serious1822
1822 C. Lamb in London Mag. July 35/2 I should not care to be caught in the serious avenues of some cathedral alone, and reading Candide.
1849 J. Ruskin Seven Lamps Archit. vi. 163 It would be difficult to conceive a scene less dependent upon any other interest than that of its own secluded and serious beauty.
1862 D. Coleridge Teachers of People 33 The elder educational institutions of the country,..with their noble courts, solemn chapels, and serious cloisters.
1903 Rosary Mag. 23 164 A certain irreverence in..[making] these graceful, serious halls a reception room.
6. Dealing with or regarding the grave side of a subject; not joking or playful. Of a person: acting or speaking sincerely, rather than in a joking or half-hearted manner, in earnest; (of a comment) delivered with earnest intention, not light, superficial, or joking.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > emotion > suffering > dejection > melancholy > seriousness or solemnity > [adjective] > as opposed to jesting or playful
serious1654
unjesting1833
1654 Mercurius Fumigosus No. 8. 76 Thus ends the serious News of this week; but now to my more frolick Intelligence.
1713 J. Swift Jrnl. to Stella 17 Jan. (1948) II. 604 I was going to be serious; because it was seriously put; but I turned it to a Jest.
1751 J. Brown Ess. Characteristics 62 Setting aside all raillery, advising the railleurs to be serious.
1825 T. Hook Sayings & Doings 2nd Ser. III. 104 A note of enquiry, half serious, half waggish.
1875 B. Jowett tr. Plato Dialogues (ed. 2) I. 201 The gentlemen are not serious, but are only playing with you.
1954 Bull. Atomic Scientists Dec. 385/1 I never know when he is serious and when he is joking.
1981 United Press Internat. Newswire (Nexis) 22 June ‘You can't be serious,’ McEnroe shrieked at the umpire. ‘You are an incompetent fool.’
1998 Zest Sept. 4 On a more serious note, just how scary are mobile phones?
2000 D. Adebayo My Once upon Time (2001) iii. 32 Sis, I'm serious. No joke.
7. † b. slang. In ironic use: excessively pious or religious. Obsolete.
a. Earnest in matters of religion; pious. Now rare except as a spec. use of sense A. 4.
ΘΚΠ
society > faith > aspects of faith > piety > [adjective]
GodfrightOE
goodOE
ghostlyOE
Godfrightya1225
seelya1225
devout?c1225
piteousc1300
spiritualc1384
graciousa1387
godlyc1390
pitifulc1449
inwardc1450
piousc1450
evangelica1475
servantly1503
obedientiala1513
Christian1526
well-believing1529
God-fearing1548
resigneda1555
heavenly minded1569
timorate1570
Godfull1593
pious1595
fearful1597
devoutful1598
devotea1625
serious1684
unctuous1742
theopathetic1749
fire-spirited1845
theopathic1846
unctional1849
interior1854
devotionate1864
sacramental1874
pi1891
society > faith > aspects of faith > religion > [adjective] > imbued with
religious?c1225
God-loving1628
serious1684
1684 J. Stewart Let. in B. Cusack Everyday Eng. 1500–1700 (1998) 220 I sell seay nomor at present bot desayrs yow & all to be seriows & mek Good ws of presios tiem.
1720 T. Boston Human Nature iv. v. 513 The Atheist convinc'd; the Hypocrite unmask'd; and the Profane, at long-run, turn'd serious about his eternal State.
1839 C. Dickens Nicholas Nickleby xvi. 140 Pleasant Place, Finsbury. Wages, twelve guineas. No tea, no sugar. Serious family.
1840 J. H. Newman Lett. & Corr. (1891) II. 311 Such a general feeling exists amongst serious people of the need of religious communities.
1910 Friend 15 Sept. 85/3 Nor will..our own particular views..produce the slightest interruption in our harmony..with the serious members of other Christian communities.
1999 K. Jarrett in D. Longenecker Path to Rome 197 Not only did the aspiring ‘serious’ Christian have to have a big black Bible, but it had to..be printed..in double columns.
ΚΠ
1809 E. A. Kendall Trav. Northern Parts U.S. I. xxxiii. 323 His sons death brought him to God—he grew serious [note, Serious has the cant acceptation of religious].
a1822 P. B. Shelley Peter Bell III i, in Poet. Wks. (?1840) 238/1 And Peter Bell, when he had been With fresh-imported Hell-fire warmed, Grew serious.
1885 ‘F. Anstey’ Tinted Venus x. 121 No one knows the power that a single serious hairdresser might effect with worldly customers.
8.
a. Of literature, art, music, etc.: that deals with deep, grave, or profound matters; not intended simply to amuse, please, or entertain; requiring or meriting deep reflection. Opposed to comic, light, popular, etc.
ΘΚΠ
society > leisure > the arts > music > type of music > [adjective] > classical or serious
classical1829
legit1908
legitimate1913
straight1926
longhair1938
serious1960
1697 J. Addison Ess. Georgics in J. Dryden tr. Virgil Wks. sig. ¶¶1 Nothing which is a Phrase or Saying in common talk, shou'd be admitted into a serious Poem.
1762 Crit. Rev. Apr. 336 Four divisions of the characters of dancing, namely, the serious, the..serio-comic, the comic, and the grotesque.
1780 H. Walpole Vertue's Anecd. Painting (ed. 2) IV. vi. 105 Magnificent serious pantomimes.
1818 H. J. Todd Johnson's Dict. Eng. Lang. at Jemminess A colloquial expression; not much used in serious writing.
1841 Fraser's Mag. Oct. 410/2 Shakspeare's psychological plays,..his histories, and, in short,..all his serious plays.
1864 H. Morley Jrnl. 18 June (1866) 339 A play which demands alternation of serious and comic acting.
1901 G. B. Shaw Three Plays for Puritans p. xxiv The Diabolonian position is new to the London playgoer of today, but not to lovers of serious literature.
1933 Brainerd (Minnesota) Daily Dispatch 3 May 4/1 The average serious novel towers above the average program movie, intellectually.
1960 L. P. Hartley Facial Justice xxiii. 200 But to return to classical, or ‘serious’ music.
1992 Sight & Sound July 33/1 The film in question was not a ‘serious’ European art house movie, but..a Western.
2008 Independent 24 July (Extra section) 3/2 He does serious acting as well as comedy.
b. Of a writer, performer, etc.: engaged in this type of literature or art; not working in a comic, light, or popular style.
ΚΠ
1797 Encycl. Brit. XII. 497/1 Gaetano Guadagni..had been in this country..as serious-man in a burletta troop of singers.
1864 Cornhill Mag. Aug. 177 It is a common mistake of conventional serious actors in comic scenes to imitate the..manner of comic actors.
1886 A. C. Swinburne Misc. 66 Keats.., the most absolutely non-moral of all serious writers.
1942 H. Haycraft Murder for Pleasure xii. 265 Many ‘serious’ writers manage to support their solider endeavours by turning their talents to occasional short magazine fiction.
1958 Times Lit. Suppl. 15 Aug. p. xxviii/4 Sensational elements began to infiltrate..into the work of serious novelists.
1992 New Yorker 5 Oct. 29/1 A genial performer who comes off as a cross between a serious jazz singer..and a Vegas showman.
2010 Independent 31 Mar. (Life section) 6/4 She groaningly distances herself, as a serious actress, from the bosomy sex goddess who once knocked the boys dead in the stalls.
B. n.† 1. Seriousness, earnestness; gravity of disposition. Obsolete. rare.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > emotion > suffering > dejection > melancholy > seriousness or solemnity > [noun]
earnestOE
sadnessc1350
serious1440
seriouste1440
demurity1483
seriosity?a1505
gravity1509
demureness?1518
seriousness1530
solemness1530
sobriety1548
staidness1561
graveness1577
gravidad1641
earnestness1670
substantialness1683
solemnity1712
smilelessness1844
unsmilingness1873
humourlessness1890
straightfacedness1982
Promptorium Parvulorum (Harl. 221) 67 Ceryows, seriositas.
2. With the.
a. Usually with plural agreement. Those who are serious (in various senses); serious people as a class.
ΚΠ
1663 tr. J. Zins-Penninck Some Worthy Prov. 3 The serious are wise, and the long-suffering judge of things that come to pass.
1706 tr. J. B. Morvan de Bellegarde Refl. upon Ridicule 203 Men..prefer the Conversation of Humourists before that of the Serious.
1714 J. Addison Spectator No. 598. Mankind may be divided into the merry and the serious, who, both of them, make a very good figure in the species.
1796 C. Simeon in W. Carus Mem. Life C. Simeon (1847) 117 I could wish..that the custom of drinking toasts was banished from the tables of the serious, because it tends to excess.
1848 Biblical Repertory Apr. 339 The two classes before mentioned—the serious and the trifling—those who live for time, and those who live for eternity.
1970 New York 18 May 71/2 Gadgets designed for both the dilettante and the serious.
2008 P. Wall Wilde Women i. 10 The serious are always taken more seriously than the lighthearted, the assumption being that happy people are too dim to know they are unhappy.
b. Usually with singular agreement. That which is serious; serious matters or things collectively; the serious side of literature, art, life, etc.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > emotion > suffering > dejection > melancholy > seriousness or solemnity > [noun] > that which is serious
solemn1706
seriousa1724
a1724 A. Ramsay Some of Contents Ever-green in D. Laing Memorials G. Bannatyne (1829) 46 Dunbar does..in the serious schyne.
1749 H. Fielding Tom Jones II. v. i. 109 Of The serious in writing, and for what Purpose it is introduced. View more context for this quotation
1859 A. Bain Emotions & Will xiv. 283 The Comic, in fact, starts from the Serious.
1897 C. M. Flandrau Harvard Episodes 71 You have found out how seriously he objects to the serious.
1914 Cent. Mag. Nov. 6/1 The lowest key of the voice is reserved for..the significant, the serious, the intimate.
1985 M. Palin Diary 1 June in Halfway to Hollywood (2009) 365 The conversation tends to the serious.
1994 Film Focus Dec. 32/3 His ability to mix the apparently trivial with the serious.
2011 New Yorker 21 Mar. 66/2 When modernism arrived in the arts, it marked a..splitting off..between the popular and the serious.
C. adv.
1. As an intensifier: to a serious or considerable extent; very, extremely, truly. Cf. sense A. 3c, seriously adv.2 2c. Now regional or slang.
ΘΚΠ
the world > relative properties > quantity > greatness of quantity, amount, or degree > high or intense degree > [adverb]
stronglyeOE
felec950
strongeOE
highlyOE
highOE
greatlya1200
stourlya1225
greata1325
dreec1330
deeplya1400
mightya1400
dreichlyc1400
mighty?a1425
sorec1440
mainlyc1450
greatumly1456
madc1487
profoundly1489
stronglya1492
muchwhata1513
shrewlya1529
heapa1547
vengeance?1548
sorely1562
smartlyc1580
mightly1582
mightily1587
violently1601
intensively1604
almightily1612
violent1629
seriously1643
intensely1646
importunately1660
shrewdly1664
gey1686
sadly1738
plenty1775
vitally1787
substantively1795
badly1813
far1814
heavily1819
serious1825
measurably1834
dearly1843
bally1939
majorly1955
sizzlingly1956
majorly1978
fecking1983
1825 T. Hood Addr. to Sylvanus Urban in Odes & Addr. 69 A sober age made serious drunk by thee.
1878 W. Dickinson Gloss. Words & Phrases Cumberland (ed. 2) 83/2 ‘It's a serious fine day.’ ‘Ey, it's sarious het.’
1919 C. Evans My Neighbours vi. 120 Serious sure, an old bother is this.
1990 New Statesman & Society 16 Feb. 12 With his top lip curled to signify contempt, he goaded an imaginary hapless friend: ‘You a lame chief, well lame, serious lame!’
2000 A. Manning April Adventure ii. 18 Mrs. Williams is serious ill, the doctor says.
2007 Daily Tel. (Austral.) (Nexis) 1 Mar. 27 Billy Thorpe was also simply the coolest guy in the room. Serious cool.
2. In a serious or solemn manner; with grave intent; earnestly. Now regional or nonstandard.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > will > wish or inclination > willingness > [adverb] > earnestly
in (formerly also for, on) earnestOE
earnestlyOE
prestc1400
serious1853
1853 E. C. Gaskell Ruth II. iii. 45 I shut my eyes again, and tried to think serious.
1878 Puck (N.Y.) 24 Apr. 7/2 I give you my word, I meant it serious enough.
1921 E. O'Neill Diff'rent (1925) 223 Don't take her so dead serious, Harriet. Emmer'll git over it.
1972 M. Ivins Texas Observed in Place Oct. 86/2 The city council members didn't act like yahoos; they took it serious.
1990 R. Doyle Snapper (1993) 55 Serious though, Sharon, said Mary.—Do we really not know him?
Compounds
Forming (often parasynthetic) adjectives, as serious-eyed, serious-faced, serious-looking, serious-seeming, etc. See also serious-minded adj.
ΚΠ
1814 La Belle Assemblée Jan. 20/2 Her father was a venerable, serious-looking man.
1831 L. E. Landon Romance & Reality I. xxii. 271 Look at that serious-seeming personage, who walks from one end of the room as if he meant to commit suicide at the other.
1848 Missionary Chron. Mar. 75/2 A sister, a serious-faced intelligent woman, was the first to receive us.
1865 A. Smith Summer in Skye I. 194 The light-hearted Irishman delights to ‘chaff’ and to be ‘chaffed’; the..more serious-hearted Highlander can neither do the one nor endure the other.
1969 H. Brodkey in Stories in Almost Classical Mode (1989) 107 The cries of serious-eyed..French children at play.
1997 C. Shields Larry's Party (1998) xi. 222 The serious-sounding Environmental Maze in Wales.
This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, March 2013; most recently modified version published online March 2022).
<
adj.1c1425
adj.2n.adv.1440