seriousness

noun

1. Sober sincerity: earnestness, sobersidedness. See heavy/light, work/play.
2. The condition of being grave and of involving serious consequences: graveness, gravity, momentousness, weightiness. See important/unimportant.

Definition: danger; criticalness
Antonyms: triviality, unimportance

The noun has 3 meanings:

Meaning #1: an earnest and sincere feeling
  Synonyms: earnestness, sincerity

Meaning #2: the quality of arousing fear or distress
  Synonym: distressfulness

Meaning #3: the trait of being serious
  Synonyms: earnestness, serious-mindedness, sincerity
  Antonym: frivolity (meaning #1)

Quotes:

"We are growing serious, and let me tell you, that's the next step to being dull." - Joseph Addison

"The one serious conviction that a man should have is that nothing is to be taken too seriously." - Samuel Butler

"Take your work seriously, but never yourself." - Dame Margot Fonteyn

"Not a shred of evidence exists in favor of the idea that life is serious." - Brendan Gill

"I'm afraid of being lazy and complacent. I'm afraid of taking myself too seriously." - Barbara Hershey

"Seriousness is stupidity sent to college." - P. J. O'Rourke

See more famous quotes about Seriousness