serious

adj.

1 bad/dangerous

VERBS

▪ be, look, seem, sound

▪ become, get

▪

By this time the riots were getting serious.

▪ remain

ADVERB

▪ extremely, fairly, very, etc.

▪ particularly, really, terribly

▪

These are terribly serious allegations.

▪ potentially

PREPOSITION

▪ for

▪

This situation could be very serious for her.

PHRASES

▪ nothing serious

▪

‘Bob's sick.’ ‘Oh, I hope it's nothing serious.’

▪ serious enough to warrant sth

▪

The crime is considered serious enough to warrant a jail term.

2 not joking

VERBS

▪ be, look, sound

▪

Come on, be serious!

▪ become, grow, turn

▪

He became serious all of a sudden.

▪ remain, stay

▪

Please try to stay serious!

ADVERB

▪ extremely, fairly, very, etc.

▪ absolutely, completely, entirely, perfectly, quite, totally

▪ deadly, terribly

▪

Joe is deadly serious in his beliefs.

PREPOSITION

▪ about

▪

Are you serious about resigning?

Serious is used with these nouns: ↑accident, ↑accusation, ↑actor, actress, ↑ailment, ↑allegation, ↑allergy, ↑alternative, ↑analysis, ↑answer, ↑artist, ↑assault, ↑attack, ↑attempt, ↑attention, ↑attitude, ↑bid, ↑blow, ↑blunder, ↑bout, ↑boyfriend, ↑breach, ↑breakdown, ↑burn, ↑business, ↑case, ↑casualty, ↑challenge, ↑challenger, ↑charge, ↑clash, ↑collector, ↑collision, ↑commitment, ↑competition, ↑competitor, ↑complaint, ↑complication, ↑concern, ↑concussion, ↑condition, ↑conflict, ↑confrontation, ↑congestion, ↑consequence, ↑consideration, ↑contamination, ↑contemplation, ↑contender, ↑conversation, ↑corruption, ↑crack, ↑crash, ↑crime, ↑criminal, ↑crisis, ↑criticism, ↑damage, ↑danger, ↑debate, ↑debt, ↑decline, ↑defeat, ↑defect, ↑deficiency, ↑deficit, ↑delay, ↑dent, ↑depression, ↑deterioration, ↑dialogue, ↑difference, ↑difficulty, ↑dilemma, ↑disability, ↑disadvantage, ↑disagreement, ↑disappointment, ↑discrepancy, ↑discussion, ↑disease, ↑disorder, ↑dispute, ↑disruption, ↑dissent, ↑distortion, ↑disturbance, ↑doubt, ↑downturn, ↑drain, ↑drawback, ↑effect, ↑effort, ↑embarrassment, ↑emergency, ↑engagement, ↑enquiry, ↑erosion, ↑error, ↑escalation, ↑expression, ↑face, ↑failing, ↑failure, ↑fashion, ↑fault, ↑felony, ↑fiction, ↑fighting, ↑fire, ↑flaw, ↑foul play, ↑fraud, ↑gap, ↑girlfriend, ↑handicap, ↑harm, ↑hazard, ↑heart attack, ↑hindrance, ↑historian, ↑illness, ↑imbalance, ↑impact, ↑impediment, ↑implication, ↑incident, ↑inconsistency, ↑inconvenience, ↑indigestion, ↑indiscretion, ↑infection, ↑infringement, ↑injury, ↑interest, ↑irregularity, ↑issue, ↑lack, ↑lapse, ↑leak, ↑limitation, ↑look, ↑loss, ↑matter, ↑menace, ↑message, ↑miscalculation, ↑misconduct, ↑misgivings, ↑mishap, ↑mistake, ↑misunderstanding, ↑misuse, ↑mood, ↑move, ↑music, ↑musician, ↑need, ↑neglect, ↑negotiation, ↑note, ↑objection, ↑obstacle, ↑offence, ↑omission, ↑opposition, ↑outbreak, ↑overtone, ↑peril, ↑pest, ↑possibility, ↑prejudice, ↑problem, ↑quarrel, ↑question, ↑reading, ↑recession, ↑reflection, ↑relationship, ↑repercussion, ↑reservation, ↑resistance, ↑responsibility, ↑rethink, ↑reverse, ↑revolt, ↑rift, ↑riot, ↑risk, ↑rival, ↑row, ↑scientist, ↑scrutiny, ↑setback, ↑shopper, ↑shopping, ↑shortage, ↑shortcoming, ↑side effect, ↑situation, ↑split, ↑strait, ↑stroke, ↑study, ↑subject, ↑symptom, ↑talk, ↑test, ↑thinker, ↑thinking, ↑thought, ↑threat, ↑tone, ↑training, ↑trouble, ↑underestimate, ↑undertaking, ↑unrest, ↑violation, ↑violence, ↑voice, ↑weakness, ↑worry, ↑wound, ↑writer