seriously

adverb

se·​ri·​ous·​ly ˈsir-ē-əs-lē How to pronounce seriously (audio)
Synonyms of seriouslynext
1
: in a sincere manner : earnestly
speaking seriously
2
: to a serious extent : severely, extremely
seriously injured

Synonyms of seriously

Relevance
See All Synonyms & Antonyms in Thesaurus

Examples of seriously in a Sentence

No one was seriously injured in the accident. I thought seriously about death while I was in the hospital. You should seriously consider buying a new car. You don't mean that seriously, do you? It was so hot that we nearly melted. But seriously, it was hotter than I've ever experienced. I think you are seriously mistaken.
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
But Jobs, who scoffed at formal succession planning and kept a tight lid on his company’s operations, did take the issue seriously, corporate governance experts told CNN. — Allison Morrow, CNN Money, 2 Sep. 2026 The Honda Dax was never meant to be taken too seriously, which is precisely why this build works so well. — New Atlas, 2 Sep. 2026 Even if there is some doubt about the viability of the Golden Dome, Russian and Chinese officials are obliged to take it seriously. — Jeffrey Lewis, Foreign Affairs, 1 Sep. 2026 Mythos prompted companies to take cybersecurity more seriously because the model could be easily used to exploit software vulnerabilities. — Alexa Lomonaco, CNBC, 1 Sep. 2026 See All Example Sentences for seriously

Word History

First Known Use

1643, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Time Traveler
The first known use of seriously was in 1643

Phrases Containing seriously

Rhymes for seriously

See All Rhymes for seriously

Browse Nearby Words

serious
seriously
serious-minded
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Seriously.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/seriously. Accessed 4 Sep. 2026.

Copy Citation
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of apiary

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

A List of Most Commonly Confused Words

Why do we use apostrophes to show possession?

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

The Longest Long Words List

Stay Woke

Ye Olde Nincompoop: Old-Fashioned Words for 'Stupid'

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Words of the Week - Sept. 4
See More

Popular

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

The Longest Long Words List

Stay Woke
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
anagrams on a chalk board
Word Builder Quiz Vol. 2 Pick the letter that when added to a word will ma...
See All