mindmap root((严肃)) serious implies a concern for what really matters: prefers gothic romance to ~ fiction. grave implies both seriousness and dignity in expression or attitude: read the pronouncement in a ~ voice. solemn suggests an impressive gravity utterly free from levity: the ~ occasion of a coronation. sedate implies a composed and decorous seriousness: in the midst of frenzy, the bride remained ~. staid suggests a settled, accustomed sedateness, and prim self-restraint: her dinner parties were ~ affairs. sober stresses a seriousness of purpose and absence of levity or frivolity: an objective and ~ look at the situation. earnest suggests a sincerity and often zealousness of purpose: an ~ attempt at dramatizing the Bible.