as in earnest
Related Words
Relevance
Dissimilar Words
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of serious-minded
These ads — presented as teasers, TV spots, and a theatrical trailer that seemed to begin as a very serious-minded tribute to Disney’s great history — served as a delightful introduction to a character that would grow to become one of the studio’s most popular.
—
Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 23 May 2025
In 2025, Final Reckoning is exactly the kind of splashy crowd-pleaser that the festival seeks out to both offset and complement its otherwise fairly serious-minded slate of films from all over the world.
—Stephanie Zacharek, Time, 15 May 2025
Rather than strain to add an arthouse veneer (or the climactic reveal of an animating trauma), Coogler offers a true synthesis between serious-minded fiction and B-movie camp.
—Paul A. Thompson, Pitchfork, 22 Apr. 2025
This is funny; Misty, a serious-minded statistician, can’t admit to frivolity.
—Alexandra Schwartz, The New Yorker, 17 Mar. 2025
However, the deeper malaise will take some serious-minded action.
—Tim Ellis, Forbes, 1 Mar. 2025
The banter between Hedges and Scherzer lightened a serious-minded Rangers’ clubhouse.
—Ken Rosenthal, The Athletic, 25 Feb. 2025
Who’s to say that a serious-minded semi-Marxist critique of economic desperation and the rise of fascism in the Star Wars universe is somehow harder than transplanting the 1980s Amblin sensibility to the same universe?
—Daniel Fienberg, The Hollywood Reporter, 29 Jan. 2025
Molina, a gay hairdresser convicted of public indecency during Argentina’s brutal military dictatorship, has been sent to the political wing of a prison and put in the same cell as Valentin Arregui (a solid, if unremarkable Diego Luna), an intense and serious-minded Marxist revolutionary.
—Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 27 Jan. 2025
Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 23 May 2025
In 2025, Final Reckoning is exactly the kind of splashy crowd-pleaser that the festival seeks out to both offset and complement its otherwise fairly serious-minded slate of films from all over the world.
—Stephanie Zacharek, Time, 15 May 2025
Rather than strain to add an arthouse veneer (or the climactic reveal of an animating trauma), Coogler offers a true synthesis between serious-minded fiction and B-movie camp.
—Paul A. Thompson, Pitchfork, 22 Apr. 2025
This is funny; Misty, a serious-minded statistician, can’t admit to frivolity.
—Alexandra Schwartz, The New Yorker, 17 Mar. 2025
However, the deeper malaise will take some serious-minded action.
—Tim Ellis, Forbes, 1 Mar. 2025
The banter between Hedges and Scherzer lightened a serious-minded Rangers’ clubhouse.
—Ken Rosenthal, The Athletic, 25 Feb. 2025
Who’s to say that a serious-minded semi-Marxist critique of economic desperation and the rise of fascism in the Star Wars universe is somehow harder than transplanting the 1980s Amblin sensibility to the same universe?
—Daniel Fienberg, The Hollywood Reporter, 29 Jan. 2025
Molina, a gay hairdresser convicted of public indecency during Argentina’s brutal military dictatorship, has been sent to the political wing of a prison and put in the same cell as Valentin Arregui (a solid, if unremarkable Diego Luna), an intense and serious-minded Marxist revolutionary.
—Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 27 Jan. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for serious-minded
Adjective
-
Real estate deals made up some of those transactions — closings, earnest fund refunds, construction loans payouts, fees to agents and to title companies, all manned by professionals who often work outside regular office hours.—
Tom Groenfeldt,
Forbes.com,
17 July 2025
-
That same earnest vulnerability people (and Love Islanders) can’t always handle is what makes falling in love so electric and profound.—
Jenna Ryu,
SELF,
14 July 2025
Adjective
-
This surge in extreme heat drives up energy demand and poses serious health risks to vulnerable populations.—
Caitlin Looby,
jsonline.com,
24 July 2025
-
Surgeries or procedures to prevent aneurysm rupture also carry serious risks.—
Ruth Jessen Hickman,
Health,
23 July 2025
Adjective
-
But his fingerprints are all over the album — both in its warm vocals and its introspective existential themes.—
Richard Trapunski,
Billboard,
24 July 2025
-
This homecoming, driven by Stefan’s urge to complete a film about his mother as well as an attempt to make amends by rescuing a stray dog, will ignite an introspective journey.—
Leo Barraclough,
Variety,
23 July 2025
Adjective
-
The work’s third movement offers an intriguing pizzicato section, as well moments of discordant — though not somber — unease.—
Sheila Regan,
Twin Cities,
11 July 2025
-
Both the original Godzilla film—produced in Japan less than a decade after Hiroshima and Nagasaki—and the 1956 version released in the States (with a performance by the actor Raymond Burr spliced in for American audiences) are somber and even daring for the time.—
Tom Nichols,
The Atlantic,
10 July 2025
Adjective
-
The moment was filled with conflicting emotions, a mix of gratitude and solemn reflection.—
Ashley Vega,
People.com,
15 July 2025
-
The eventual confirmation of his passing, delivered by solemn White House and medical officials, triggered an outpouring of condolences from across the political spectrum, even from those who had been his staunchest opponents.—
Theo Burman,
MSNBC Newsweek,
13 July 2025
Adjective
-
But lawmakers say what caught their attention was more of a philosophical difference.—
CalMatters,
Mercury News,
13 July 2025
-
Bohemian does not begin to describe the brothers, one of whom has a picture of the Dalai Lama in their kitchen, or the film, which is narrated by a philosophical bull called Nandy.—
Damon Wise,
Deadline,
12 July 2025
Adjective
-
There are still thousands dotted along the way, watching the women’s race on their phones, and then the finish line by Chiswick Bridge is a more sedate affair, albeit one still fuelled by copious drinks.—
Tim Spiers,
New York Times,
14 Apr. 2025
-
As previously reported, the largest shark alive today, reaching up to 20 meters long, is the whale shark, a sedate filter feeder.—
Jennifer Ouellette,
Ars Technica,
9 Mar. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Serious-minded.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/serious-minded. Accessed 29 Jul. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share