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Dictionary

Words, grammatical forms and meanings linked to the ontology.

gravitas en · NOUN

Pronunciation

  • /ˈɡɹæv.ɪ.tæs/ (Received-Pronunciation)
  • (Australia) audio
  • /ˈɡɹæv.ɪ.tɑːs/ (Received-Pronunciation)
  • /ˈɡɹævɪtɑs/ (General-American)
  • /ˈɡɹɑvɪtɑs/ (General-American)
  • (US) audio

Etymology

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *gʷreh₂- Proto-Indo-European *-us Proto-Indo-European *gʷréh₂us Proto-Italic *gʷraus Latin gravis Proto-Indo-European *-teh₂ Proto-Indo-European *-ts Proto-Indo-European *-teh₂ts Proto-Italic *-tāts Latin -tās Latin gravitāsbor. English gravitas Borrowed from Latin gravitās (“weight, heaviness”). Doublet of gravity.

Meanings

  1. (uncountable) Seriousness in bearing or manner; dignity.
    • “Because he refuses to level with the American people about the dangers which he has placed American troops and our diplomatic corps, personnel and civilians, as well as our partners and allies, or demonstrated even a modicum of presidential gravitas, I will attempt to do that,” said Mr. Biden, who is one of 14 candidates seeking the Democratic presidential nomination. 2020 January 7, Katie Glueck, Shane Goldmacher, “Joe Biden, Seeking Commander-in-Chief Moment, Denounces Trump’s Iran Escalation”, in The New York Times, →ISSN, archived from the original on 19 Apr 2020:
  2. (figuratively, uncountable) Substance, weight.
    • It's a light rail system, after all, although it does operate at the heavier end of the light rail spectrum. Yet it doesn't have the history or the gravitas that (say) London Underground has. 2023 November 29, Richard Foster, “Tyne & Wear Metro goes with the flow”, in RAIL, number 997, page 32:
    • The other campaign against Ms. Yellen has been subtler, involving repeated suggestions — almost always off the record — that she lacks the “gravitas” to lead the Fed. What does that mean? […] Sorry, but it’s hard to escape the conclusion that gravitas, in this context, mainly means possessing a Y chromosome. 2013 August 2, Paul Krugman, “Sex, Money and Gravitas”, in The New York Times, →ISSN, archived from the original on 12 Nov 2020:
    • Unlike most moons of the solar system, ours has the heft, the gravitational gravitas, to pull itself into a sphere. 2014 September 7, Natalie Angier, “The Moon comes around again”, in The New York Times, archived from the original on 31 Jul 2020:
    • [Liz Truss] fails to display intellectual gravitas, they say, relying instead upon cheap slogans, and struggles to make convincing speeches, another facet of her character that could be quickly exposed under the intense scrutiny of Downing Street. 2022 July 30, “‘Ambition greater than ability’: Liz Truss’s rise from teen Lib Dem to would-be PM”, in The Guardian, archived from the original on 19 Aug 2022:

Relateds

gravitate · gravity

Translations (8)

de Gravität (seriousness) · tr ciddiyet (seriousness) · de Bedeutung (seriousness) · it sussiego (seriousness) · de Würdehaftigkeit (seriousness) · pl powaga (seriousness) · de Gewichtigkeit (seriousness) · de Würde (seriousness)