Basic Details
Word: Seriously
Part of Speech: Adverb
Meaning: In a serious way, without joking; also badly or to a great degree, as in seriously hurt.
Synonyms: gravely, earnestly, sincerely, badly
Antonyms: lightly, jokingly, casually
How to Spell Seriously
Syllables: se - ri - ous - ly
Tricky part: The -ious part loses letters when said fast, giving serously or seriosly. All three vowels, i, o and u, must be there before ly.
Watch out for: serously, seriosly, seriuosly
Memory tip: Write serious first. Its ending -ious is the same as in curious and furious, so check for i, o, u, then add ly.
Usage Examples
Example 1: Nobody took Kunal seriously when he said he had seen a leopard near the school.
Example 2: Please read the safety rules seriously before the science practical.
Example 3: The coach spoke seriously to the team after the second loss.
Fun Fact
The ending -ous, found in serious, famous and nervous, comes from the Latin ending -osus, meaning full of.
Practise the CREST Way
Word Cookie
Fill in the missing letters to complete the word:
s_ri_usl_
a) e, u, y
b) e, o, i
c) e, o, y
d) a, o, y
Show answer
c) e, o, y. Build it from serious, whose -ious needs the o, and close with the y of -ly.
Word Connection
Choose the antonym of the word seriously as used in the sentence:
Dadi spoke seriously about saving water during the summer shortage.
a) earnestly
b) jokingly
c) gravely
d) sincerely
Show answer
b) jokingly. Earnestly, gravely and sincerely all describe serious speech; jokingly is how you speak when you are not serious.
Mingle-Mangle
Unjumble the letters in the sentence to form a meaningful word:
The cyclist was luysoeirs hurt when a truck brushed past him on the highway.
a) seriously
b) curiously
c) serenely
d) securely
Show answer
a) seriously. The letters include an r, i, o and u with no c or n, which spells seriously, the only word that fits hurt.
Multiple Choice Questions
1. If you take advice seriously, you ____.
a) forget it very quickly
b) share it as a joke
c) laugh it off at once
d) think about it carefully
Show answer
d) think about it carefully
2. Someone who is seriously ill is ____.
a) very ill
b) pretending to be ill
c) ill on purpose
d) only slightly ill
Show answer
a) very ill
