seriousness

se·ri·ous  (sîr-s)

adj.

1. Grave in quality or manner: gave me a serious look.

2.

a. Carried out in earnest: engaged in serious drinking; serious study of Italian.

b. Deeply interested or involved: a serious card player.

c. Designed for and addressing grave and earnest tastes: serious art; serious music.

d. Not trifling or jesting: I'm serious: we expect you to complete the assignment on time. Her question was serious enough to deserve a thoughtful response.

e. Informal Of considerable size or scope; substantial: a cleanup that cost serious money.

f. Of such character or quality as to appeal to the expert, the connoisseur, or the sophisticate: "Every serious kitchen needs at least one peppermill" (Washington Post).

3. Concerned with important rather than trivial matters: a serious student of history.

4.

a. Being of such import as to cause anxiety: serious injuries; a serious turn of events.

b. Too complex to be easily answered or solved: raised some serious objections to the proposal.

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[Middle English, from Old French serieux, from Late Latin srisus, from Latin srius.]

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seri·ous·ly adv.

seri·ous·ness n.

Synonyms: serious, sober, grave², solemn, earnest¹, sedate¹, staid
These adjectives refer to manner, appearance, disposition, or acts marked by absorption in thought, pressing concerns, or significant work. Serious implies a concern with responsibility and work as opposed to play: serious students of music.
Sober emphasizes circumspection and self-restraint: "My sober mind was no longer intoxicated by the fumes of politics" (Edward Gibbon).
Grave suggests the dignity and somberness associated with weighty matters: "a quiet, grave man, busied in charts, exact in sums, master of the art of tactics" (Walter Bagehot).
Solemn often adds to grave the suggestion of impressiveness: the judge's solemn tone as she handed down her decision.
Earnest implies sincerity and intensity of purpose: disputants who showed an earnest desire to reach an equitable solution.
Sedate implies a composed, dignified manner: "One of those calm, quiet, sedate natures, to whom the temptations of turbulent nerves or vehement passions are things utterly incomprehensible" (Harriet Beecher Stowe).
Staid emphasizes dignity and an often strait-laced observance of propriety: "a grave and staid God-fearing man" (Tennyson).

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Seriousness 

1. Bearing his earnestness like an emblem —Donald MacKenzie
2. Every man will have his hours of seriousness; but like the hours of rest, they often are ill-chosen and unwholesome —Walter Savage Landor
3. Grave as a judge that’s giving charge —Samuel Wesley
4. Grave as an old cat —Anon
5. Grave as an owl in a barn —George Farquhar
6. Sedate as a committeeman —William Mcllvanney
7. Serious as a doctor —Eudora Welty
8. Serious as an overdue mortgage —Alexander King
9. Serious as a pig pissin’ —C. J. Koch
10. (You are so) serious, as if a glacier spoke in your ear —Frank O’Hara
11. Serious as if at church —Émile Zola
12. Serious as the Ten Commandments —W. B. Yeats
13. Serious like a hyacinth … which has had no sun —Virginia Woolf
14. Sober as a bone —Erich Maria Remarque
15. Sober as a coroner inspecting a corpse —Amelie Rives
16. Sober as a judge —Anon

    According to Stevenson’s Book of Proverbs, Maxims and Famous Sayings, John Arbuthnot used the simile in John Bull in 1712, and 22 years later, Henry Fielding used it in Don Quixote In England. Since then, it has become common usage; its meaning more frequently tied to a serious manner than sobriety. In one of his Tutt and Tutt legal stories, Arthur Train added an interesting note of specificity with “Sober as a Kansas judge.”

17. Solemn as a child in shock —C. J. Koch
18. Solemn as a clergyman —Nina Bawden
19. Solemn as a lawyer at a will reading —J. B. Priestley
20. Solemn as a nun —R. Wright Campbell
21. Solemn as a soldier going to the front —Norman Mailer
22. Solemn as kewpie dolls —Diane Ackerman
23. Solemnly agreed, as though pledging allegiance to the flag —Robert Traver

    See Also: AGREEMENT/DISAGREEMENT

24. Stern as a Tartar —Lorenz Hart

    The Tartar described is Queen Elizabeth. This is also the title of a song from Hart’s lyrics for The Garried Gaities of 1926.

Thesaurus

Noun	1.	seriousness - an earnest and sincere feeling       earnestness, sincerity solemnity, gravity - a solemn and dignified feeling
	2.	seriousness - the quality of arousing fear or distress; "he learned the seriousness of his illness" distressfulness severeness, severity, badness - used of the degree of something undesirable e.g. pain or weather
	3.	seriousness - the trait of being serious; "a lack of solemnity is not necessarily a lack of seriousness"- Robert Rice serious-mindedness, earnestness, sincerity trait - a distinguishing feature of your personal nature commitment, committedness - the trait of sincere and steadfast fixity of purpose; "a man of energy and commitment" graveness, gravity, soberness, sobriety, somberness, sombreness - a manner that is serious and solemn sedateness, solemness, solemnity, staidness - a trait of dignified seriousness frivolity, frivolousness - the trait of being frivolous; not serious or sensible

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seriousness

noun

1. importance, gravity, urgency, moment, weight, danger, significance the seriousness of the crisis

2. solemnity, gravity, earnestness, sobriety, gravitas, sternness, humourlessness, staidness, sedateness They had shown a commitment and a seriousness of purpose.

Translations

seriousness [ˈsɪərɪəsnɪs] N

1. (= earnestness) [of suggestion, publication, occasion, voice] → seriedad f; [of report, information, account] → fiabilidad f
in all seriousness → hablando en serio

2. (= gravity) [of situation, problem, threat, damage] → gravedad f, seriedad f; [of illness, injury, mistake] → gravedad f

seriousness [ˈsɪəriəsnɪs] n

[person] → sérieux m

[problem] → gravité f

seriousness

n

(= earnestness) → Ernst m; (= lack of frivolity) → Ernsthaftigkeit f; (of consideration, discussion, point, matter etc) → Ernst m; (of newspaper, interest) → Ernsthaftigkeit f, → Seriosität f; (of offer, suggestion) → Seriosität f; in all seriousness → ganz im Ernst

(= critical nature, of accident, loss, mistake, injury, illness) → Schwere f; (of problem, situation, patient’s condition, threat, shortage) → Ernst m; (of deterioration) → Bedenklichkeit f

seriousness [ˈsɪərɪəsnɪs] n (gen) → serietà, gravità; (of error) → gravità
in all seriousness → in tutta sincerità