seriously
adverb
Form of serious , adverb of serious.
Simple meaning
Used to try to introduce a serious point in a less serious conversation.
Pronunciation
Say it like this:
sihreeuhsleeSay the bold part a little louder.
IPA pronunciation (US)
ˈsɪɹiəsli
This word is pronounced essentially the same in American and British English, so one transcription covers both.
IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) is a standard way of writing speech sounds.
Definition
Everyday modern meanings first, grouped by part of speech.
adverb
manner
In a serious or literal manner.
Gravely; deeply; very much.
Used to attempt to introduce a serious point in a less serious conversation.
To a severe or serious degree
Used to call back to a previous point, in disbelief or for emphasis.
informal
In an extreme or major way; majorly.
Word at a Glance
- Difficulty
- A2 · Elementary (estimated)
- Frequency
- Common
- Typical Use
- Everyday English
Word Aura™
How this word commonly comes across.
Aura for this meaning
This meaning: (manner) In a serious or literal manner.
Used this way, seriously is a reasonably familiar word that usually carries little praise or criticism of its own. It usually sounds natural in a wide range of settings.
- Emotional tone
- Neutral
- Formality
- Neutral
- Intensity
- Not strongly marked
- How common
- Moderately common
- Connotation
- No strong connotation
- Usage feel
- Neutral and straightforward
Word Aura describes common impressions, not a measurement. Tone changes with sentence, speaker, relationship and situation.
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Common Patterns and Combinations
How this word naturally appears with others.
Similar Words, What’s the Difference?
Close in meaning, but not always interchangeable.
Word Family
Related forms, grouped by how they connect.
Inflected forms
Grammatical variations of the same word.
Concerned with work or important matters rather than play or trivialities.
Word family
Words built from the same root.
An earnest and sincere feeling.
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What Does It Mean Here?
Words can change meaning depending on context.
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Dictionary data from Wiktionary via the Free Dictionary API. Simple meanings, combinations and word intelligence are built from verified reference data, no AI is used to load this page.