adjective · neutral
serious
UK/ˈsɪəriəs/US/ˈsɪriəs/SER·i·ous
important, worrying, or needing careful thought
Examples
“The city faces a serious problem with traffic congestion.”
“She had a serious expression when she spoke about the issue.”
“If someone is injured, that is a serious situation.”
Band 8 sentence
“The committee concluded that the economic consequences of the policy were sufficiently serious to warrant immediate action.”
Collocations
- serious problem
- take something seriously
- a serious injury
Word family
Common mistakes
He is very seriously about his studies.→He takes his studies seriously.
serious problem vs many serious problems→a serious problem / many serious problems
Say it for a higher band
5important→6severe→7+serious
Synonyms
grave
severe
Easily confused
grave
“The accident had grave consequences for the whole community.”
seriously
“You should take this advice seriously.”
Related words
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In -ous
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