gravest

ADJECTIVE

serious; gloomy

Synonyms

STRONG

dignified dull earnest heavy muted quiet sage sedate sober subdued

WEAK

cold sober deadpan dour grim grim-faced leaden long-faced meaningful no-nonsense ponderous sad saturnine solemn somber staid strictly business thoughtful unsmiling

Antonyms

STRONG

agitated boisterous excited light lively trivial unimportant

WEAK

cheerful frivolous funny happy inconsequential ridiculous silly

ADJECTIVE

crucial, dangerous

Synonyms

STRONG

acute fell heavy killing major pressing threatening

WEAK

afflictive consequential critical deadly destructive dire exigent fatal grievous hazardous important life-and-death momentous of great consequence ominous perilous serious severe significant ugly urgent vital weighty

Antonyms

STRONG

insignificant little small trivial unimportant

WEAK

cheerful frivolous funny happy inconsequential ridiculous silly

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

It follows a landmark UN resolution earlier in March which recognised transatlantic slavery as the "gravest crime against humanity", urging UN member states to contribute to a reparations fund.

From BBC • Jun. 20, 2026

The country successfully pushed for a UN resolution in March, which recognised the enslavement of Africans as the "gravest crime against humanity".

From BBC • May 27, 2026

If the gravest nuclear threats can be taken off the table for many more years, the need for a deal with Iran declines.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 20, 2026

Alicia Keys fills the CRV that drives me past MacArthur Park, site of my gravest parenting anxieties.

From Slate • May 10, 2026

Not that they needed understanding—young people were the same in every generation—but this cockiness, this refusal to take seriously the gravest questions of their lives, nettled and irritated her.

From "Go Set a Watchman: A Novel" by Harper Lee