unserious en · ADJ
Pronunciation
- (US) audio
Etymology
Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *né Proto-Indo-European *n̥- Proto-Germanic *un- Proto-West Germanic *un- Old English un- Middle English un- English un- English serious English unserious From un- + serious.
Meanings
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(of attitude, qualifier:approach; style; etc; approach; style; etc) Not serious. ▸ Characterized by a lack of seriousness (e.g., earnestness, commitment).
The band's songs, which can be deliciously unserious, are as memorable as they are charming.
2009 January 9, The New York Times, “Pop and Rock Listings”, in The New York Times, archived from the original on 09 Sep 2018:Her tone shift involved former Presidents Barack Obama and Bill Clinton lampooning their fellow ex-president as a figure of ridicule. Then Harris closed the trap with a line in her convention speech: “Trump is an unserious man. But the consequences … of putting Donald Trump back in the White House are extremely serious.”
2024 August 26, Stephen Collinson, “Trump’s personal attacks aren’t just who he is. They’re his strategy”, in CNN:In practice, however, the financial barriers to entry are exceptionally steep. Which is not necessarily a bad thing, if only to stop unserious applications from progressing.
2026 July 22, Richard Wilcock, “Open Access: only possible for the giants?”, in RAIL, number 1066, page 23:
- (of injuries, qualifier:other types of problems; etc; other types of problems; etc) Not serious. ▸ Not severe; not grave.
Forms
| Spelling | Features | Labels | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| most unserious | Degree=Sup | lexicographic | |
| more unserious | Degree=Cmp | lexicographic |
Deriveds
Synonyms
nonserious · facetious · nonsevere · nonserious · frivolous · flippant
Translations (9)
gl pouco serio (not serious — see also flippant, frivolous) · de unseriös (not serious — see also flippant, frivolous) · sv oseriös (not serious — see also flippant, frivolous) · be несур'ёзны (not serious — see also flippant, frivolous) · ru несерьёзный (not serious — see also flippant, frivolous) · pl niepoważny (not serious — see also flippant, frivolous) · ka არასერიოზული (not serious — see also flippant, frivolous) · uk несерйо́зний (not serious — see also flippant, frivolous) · da useriøs (not serious — see also flippant, frivolous)