/'sɪərɪəs; `sɪrɪəs/
adj
1 solemn and thoughtful; not frivolous 严肃的; 庄重的; 正经的
*a serious person, mind, appearance 严肃的人、心情、外表
* Her face was serious as she told us the bad news. 她告诉我们这个坏消息时脸色很严肃.
* He seems very serious, but in fact he has a delightful sense of humour. 他看上去很严肃, 其实他十分诙谐.
* Please be serious for a minute, this is very important. 请严肃点儿, 这事很重要.
2 [usu attrib 通常作定语] (of books, music, etc) intended to provoke thought; not merely for amusement （指书、音乐等）启发思考的, 不仅为消遣的
*a serious essay about social problems 关于社会问题的发人深省的文章
* Do you ever read serious works? 你看不看理论性的著作?
3 important because of possible danger or risk; grave 严重的（可能有危险或风险的）; 重大的
*a serious illness, mistake, accident 严重的疾病、错误、事故
* a serious decision about giving up a steady job 要放弃一份稳定工作的重大决定
* That could cause serious injury. 那可能造成重伤.
* The international situation is extremely serious. 国际形势极为严峻.
4 ~ (about sb/sth) in earnest; sincere 认真的; 真诚的
*a serious suggestion 诚恳的建议
* Are you really serious about him? ie Do you have sincere affection for him? 你真对他有意吗? （是否真心爱他?）
* Is she serious about learning to be a pilot? 她真想学开飞机吗?

adj

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1【situation/problem】
2 be serious
3【important】
4【large amount】
5【romantic relationship】
6【person】
7【sport/activity】
8【very good】
9【worried/unhappy】

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[Date: 1400-1500; Language: French;Origin: sérieux, from Late Latin seriosus, from Latin serius]
【SITUATION/PROBLEM】
a serious situation, problem, accident etc is extremely bad or dangerous
　the serious problem of unemployment
　Luckily, the damage was not serious.
serious injury/illness/accident etc
　a serious accident on the freeway
　Oil spills pose a serious threat to marine life.
　Serious crimes have increased dramatically.
be serious
a) if someone is serious about something they say, they really mean it and are not joking or pretending
be serious about
　Is she serious about giving up her job?
I'm serious
(=used to emphasize that you mean what you say)
deadly/dead serious
(=definitely not joking)
　She sounded dead serious.
b)spoken used to tell someone that what they have just said is silly or that you do not believe it
　'It's enough to make anyone commit murder!' 'Be serious, Jo.'
　Marry Frank? You can't be serious!
【IMPORTANT】
important and needing a lot of thought or attention
　This is a very serious matter .
　the serious business of earning a living
　Be quiet, Jim. This is serious.
　a serious article
serious attention/consideration/thought
(=careful and thorough attention etc)
　I'll give your suggestion serious consideration.
【LARGE AMOUNT】 [only before noun]informal
used to emphasize that you are talking about a large amount of something
　The President was in serious trouble .
　In industry, you can earn serious money .
【ROMANTIC RELATIONSHIP】
a serious romantic relationship is likely to continue for a long time
　It's serious - they've been seeing each other for six months.
serious about
　Are you really serious about her?
serious boyfriend/girlfriend
【PERSON】
someone who is serious is very quiet and sensible
【SPORT/ACTIVITY】 [only before noun]
very interested in an activity or subject, and spending a lot of time doing it
　He's become a serious golfer since he retired.
　Chris is a serious photographer.
【VERY GOOD】 [only before noun]informal
very good and often expensive
　He's got a serious car!
【WORRIED/UNHAPPY】
slightly worried or unhappy
　You look serious. What's wrong?