gravest

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.

If the gravest nuclear threats can be taken off the table for many more years, the need for a deal with Iran declines.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 20, 2026

Alicia Keys fills the CRV that drives me past MacArthur Park, site of my gravest parenting anxieties.

From Slate • May 10, 2026

Australian prime ministers typically reserve an address to the nation for only the gravest of circumstances.

From Barron's • Apr. 1, 2026

The visibly injured Ali, who showed no emotion during the sentencing hearing, has become one of fewer than 80 prisoners to be serving a whole life term, only handed down for the gravest offences.

From BBC • Mar. 6, 2026

And starvation made the International Red Cross call Biafra its gravest emergency since the Second World War.

From "Half of a Yellow Sun" by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie