more serious

ADJECTIVE

somber, humorless

Synonyms

STRONGEST

deliberate genuine honest severe sincere thoughtful

STRONG

sober

WEAK

austere bound bound and determined businesslike cold sober contemplative deadpan determined downbeat earnest funereal go for broke grave grim intent long-faced meditative no-nonsense pensive pokerfaced reflective resolute resolved sedate set solemn staid steady stern unhumorous unsmiling weighty

Antonyms

STRONGEST

deceptive dishonest false insincere misleading untrustworthy

WEAK

flippant funny happy light minor trivial unimportant unserious

ADJECTIVE

crucial, weighty

Synonyms

STRONGEST

dangerous deep difficult far-reaching grievous important major meaningful severe significant tough urgent

WEAK

arduous fateful fell formidable grave grim hard heavy laborious meaning business menacing momentous no joke no laughing matter of consequence operose out for blood playing hard ball pressing smoking sobering strenuous strictly business threatening ugly unamusing unhumorous worrying

Antonyms

STRONGEST

calm easy facile friendly insignificant little meaningless minor small trivial unimportant worthless

WEAK

flippant funny happy light unserious

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.

After ruling out more serious autoimmune conditions, my new dermatologist did a scalp biopsy and finally diagnosed me with fibrosing alopecia in a pattern distribution, or FAPD, in which inflammation damages hair follicles via scarring.

From Slate • May 23, 2026

"We treated this epidemic like a joke, but today we can see that the situation is becoming more and more serious," resident Gims Maniwa said.

From Barron's • May 20, 2026

City Mayor Massimo Mezzeti added that it would be "even more serious" if it turned out to be a premeditated attack.

From BBC • May 16, 2026

But psychiatric overdiagnosis creates an even more serious problem: overmedication.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 10, 2026

It’s still with me for no reason but the silliness, for how it unpinned me just briefly from the more serious agenda that guided my every day.

From "Becoming" by Michelle Obama