Dictionary

seriously en · ADV

Pronunciation

• /ˈsɪə.ɹəs.li/ (UK) in rapid speech
• /ˈsiɹ.i.əs.li/ (US)
• /ˈsɪə.ɹi.əs.li/ (UK)
• (US) audio
• /ˈsɪɹ.i.əs.li/ (US)

Etymology

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *seh₁- Proto-Indo-European *-rós Proto-Italic *sēros Latin sērus Proto-Indo-European *-(i)yós Proto-Italic *-ijos Proto-Italic *-ios Old Latin -ios Latin -ius ? Proto-Indo-European *swer- Proto-Indo-European *-yós Proto-Italic *swerjos? Latin sērius Proto-Indo-European *h₃ed- Proto-Indo-European *-os Proto-Indo-European *h₃édosder.? Proto-Italic *-ŏ̄dsos? Old Latin -ōssus Latin -ōsus Medieval Latin sēriōsus Old French serieuxbor. Middle English seryows Proto-Indo-European *leyg-der. Proto-Germanic *līkąder. Proto-Germanic *-līkaz Proto-Germanic *-ê Proto-Germanic *-līkê Proto-West Germanic *-līkē Old English -līċe Middle English -lech, -ly Middle English seryowslech English seriously From Middle English seriously, sereously, ceryously, seryowslech (“earnestly”), equivalent to serious + -ly.

Meanings

1. In a serious or literal manner.
   • Jimmy jokingly called Bob a doofus. Bob took the insult seriously.
   • Jeremy, meanwhile, was the fun-lover, like me, who didn't always take it too seriously. 2015, Christopher Biggins, Biggins - My Story:
   • “I’ll qualify the statement, then,” she answered, with a laugh. “We have known each other for two ages—hers and mine. But seriously we are as dear to each other as sisters, and now that I am going to lose her I am almost heartbroken.” 1913, Edgar Rice Burroughs, The Return of Tarzan, New York: Ballantine Books, published 1963, page 101:
   • Masters and Johnson wanted their work to be taken seriously, and wanted to stay a step ahead of the morality police, so they tended to write in almost comically dense medicalese. 2009 June 26, Dwight Garner, “Out of the Bedroom, Into the Clinic”, in The New York Times:
   • He was hoping that we would take him seriously.
2. Gravely; deeply; very much.
   • That was a seriously unpleasant thing to say.
3. Used to attempt to introduce a serious point in a less serious conversation.
   • Now, seriously, why did you forget to feed the cat today?
4. Used to call back to a previous point, in disbelief or for emphasis.
   • You baked ten (10) cakes. Seriously, why did you do that?
5. (informal) In an extreme or major way; majorly.
   • Unless you're seriously strapped (armed), you're about to be not okay too.

Forms

Deriveds

but seriously folks · srsly · sinseriously · take seriously

Synonyms

real talk · no really · no kidding · no really · no kidding

Translations (62)

pt seriamente (in a serious or literal manner) · pl na serio (speech-act) · fi vakavissaan (in a serious or literal manner) · ja 真面目に (in a serious or literal manner) · be сур'ё́зна (in a serious or literal manner) · sv seriöst (in a serious or literal manner) · vi nghiêm túc (in a serious or literal manner) · pt a sério (in a serious or literal manner) · ro cu seriozitate (in a serious or literal manner) · la sēriō (in a serious or literal manner) · mk серио́зно (in a serious or literal manner) · de im Ernst (in a serious or literal manner) · ja まじに (in a serious or literal manner) · de ernst (in a serious or literal manner) · hu na de komolyan (speech-act) · acw من جد (in a serious or literal manner) · cs vážně (in a serious or literal manner) · de ernsthaft (in a serious or literal manner) · ajp عن جد (in a serious or literal manner) · cmn 說真的 /说真的 (speech-act) · cs seriózně (in a serious or literal manner) · eo serioze (in a serious or literal manner) · pl na poważnie (in a serious or literal manner) · ar بِجِدِّيَّة (in a serious or literal manner) · ro serios (in a serious or literal manner) · tr cidden (in a serious or literal manner) · cmn 鄭重地 /郑重地 (in a serious or literal manner) · ar بجد (in a serious or literal manner) · fr sérieux (speech-act) · pl poważnie (in a serious or literal manner) · pl poważnie (speech-act) · sv allvarligt (in a serious or literal manner) · sk vážne (in a serious or literal manner) · es en serio (speech-act) · pl serio (in a serious or literal manner) · es en serio (in a serious or literal manner) · eo grave (in a serious or literal manner) · pt a sério (speech-act) · ro serios (speech-act) · ro pe bune (speech-act) · pl autentyk (speech-act) · pl na poważnie (speech-act) · de ernsthaft (speech-act) · fi tosissaan (in a serious or literal manner) · ca seriosament (in a serious or literal manner) · pl serio (speech-act) · no serr (speech-act) · hu komolyan (in a serious or literal manner) · es seriamente (in a serious or literal manner) · it gravemente (in a serious or literal manner) · uk серйо́зно (in a serious or literal manner) · it seriamente (in a serious or literal manner) · de im Ernst (speech-act) · cmn 認真地 /认真地 (in a serious or literal manner) · pl na serio (in a serious or literal manner) · ru серьёзно (in a serious or literal manner) · fr gravement (in a serious or literal manner) · fr sérieusement (in a serious or literal manner) · fi vakavasti (in a serious or literal manner) · bg серио́зно (in a serious or literal manner) · ja 真剣に (in a serious or literal manner) · no seriøst (speech-act)