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# serious

adjective (serious, more serious, most serious); adverb seriously

«serious» in the English dictionary: everyday — its meanings, how the lessons use it, and examples, each with its tree on Mova.

## Everyday

1. Serious means bad or dangerous enough to worry about: a serious illness, a serious accident. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/serious/#m1)
2. A serious person is thoughtful and not joking or laughing. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/serious/#m2)
3. If you are serious about something, you really mean it and are not pretending. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/serious/#m3)
4. Serious can mean important and needing careful thought: a serious talk. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/serious/#m4)

### In the lessons

In safety lessons «serious» marks danger that needs an adult or emergency help: a serious burn, a serious injury, a serious allergy. In stories a serious face or voice tells the reader a character is not joking and something important is happening. In everyday talk: «Are you serious?» means «Do you really mean it?». Phrases: take something seriously, seriously hurt, a serious face, deadly serious.

### Examples

- A serious cut needs a doctor, not just a plaster. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/serious/#x1)
- Grandpa had a serious look on his face when he read the letter. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/serious/#x2)
- Are you serious? You really saw a fox in the garden? [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/serious/#x3)
- The teacher wants to have a serious talk with the class about bullying. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/serious/#x4)
- Take fire alarms seriously and leave the building straight away. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/serious/#x5)
- She is serious about learning the piano and practises every day. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/serious/#x6)
- The flood caused serious damage to the town. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/serious/#x7)
- He tried to stay serious, but he started to giggle. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/serious/#x8)
- It was a serious matter for him. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/serious/#x9)

### Note

Comparison: more serious, most serious (not «seriouser»). Adverb: seriously («seriously hurt»). Opposite in the joking sense: funny, playful, joking; opposite in the danger sense: minor, slight. «Serious» does not mean «sad», though a serious face can look sad.

## On Mova

- [Trees and pragmatics of «serious» in the school dictionary](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/serious/): every meaning and example parsed by Mova, with its dependency tree and frames.
- [«serious» in the school dictionary](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/school/w/serious.html) on Mova free.