seriously

From Middle English seriously, sereously, ceryously, seryowslech (“earnestly”), equivalent to serious +‎ -ly.

• (UK) IPA^(key): /ˈsɪəɹi.əsli/, (in rapid speech) /ˈsɪəɹ.əsli/
• (US) IPA^(key): /ˈsɪɹi.əsli/, /ˈsiɹi.əsli/

• Audio (US):

  (file)

seriously (comparative more seriously, superlative most seriously)

1. (manner) In a serious or literal manner.

   He was hoping that we would take him seriously.

   Jimmy jokingly called Bob a doofus. Bob took the insult seriously.

   • 2009 June 26, Dwight Garner, “Out of the Bedroom, Into the Clinic”, in The New York Times‎:

     Masters and Johnson wanted their work to be taken seriously, and wanted to stay a step ahead of the morality police, so they tended to write in almost comically dense medicalese.

   • 2015, Christopher Biggins, Biggins - My Story:

     Jeremy, meanwhile, was the fun-lover, like me, who didn't always take it too seriously.

2. Gravely; deeply; very much.

   That was a seriously unpleasant thing to say.

3. Used to attempt to introduce a serious point in a less serious conversation.

   Synonyms: no really, no kidding, real talk

   Now, seriously, why did you forget to feed the cat today?

4. Used to call back to a previous point, in disbelief or for emphasis.

   Synonyms: no really, no kidding

   You baked ten (10) cakes. Seriously, why did you do that?

5. (informal) In an extreme or major way; majorly.

   Unless you're seriously strapped (armed), you're about to be not okay too.

• ureolysis