gravest

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serious; gloomy adj.
crucial, dangerous adj.

ADJECTIVE

serious; gloomy

Synonyms

STRONG

dignified dull earnest heavy muted quiet sage sedate sober subdued

WEAK

cold sober deadpan dour grim grim-faced leaden long-faced meaningful no-nonsense ponderous sad saturnine solemn somber staid strictly business thoughtful unsmiling

Antonyms

STRONG

agitated boisterous excited light lively trivial unimportant

WEAK

cheerful frivolous funny happy inconsequential ridiculous silly

ADJECTIVE

crucial, dangerous

Synonyms

STRONG

acute fell heavy killing major pressing threatening

WEAK

afflictive consequential critical deadly destructive dire exigent fatal grievous hazardous important life-and-death momentous of great consequence ominous perilous serious severe significant ugly urgent vital weighty

Antonyms

STRONG

insignificant little small trivial unimportant

WEAK

cheerful frivolous funny happy inconsequential ridiculous silly

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

See Examples For:

gravest

The ICC, which has 125 member states, seeks to prosecute individuals responsible for the world's gravest crimes when countries are unwilling or unable to do so themselves.

From Barron's ● Jul. 27, 2026

Established in 2002, the ICC prosecutes individuals accused of the gravest atrocities, including war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide.

From Barron's ● Jul. 13, 2026

At first, it was marketed as a narrow backstop to prosecute the gravest crimes.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 13, 2026

From the gravest to the most basic, a set of choices will confront Andy Burnham as soon as he walks through the Downing Street door.

From BBC ● Jul. 4, 2026

The park’s gravest flaw, at least from Olmsted’s perspective, was that its shoreline was subject to dramatic annual changes in the level of the lake, sometimes as much as four feet.

From "The Devil in the White City" by Erik Larson