SYNONYMS AND RELATED EXPRESSIONS
gravity
noun
Seriousness or importance of a situation.
Local English device voice, when available. This is not a recorded dictionary pronunciation.
Seriousness or importance
Closest synonyms
Related words and expressions
These extend or explain the idea and may require a different sentence structure.
Usage distinction
Return to topGravity here concerns seriousness, not the physical force of gravitation.
CHECK THE MEANING IN CONTEXT
See gravity in use
The chair's expression conveyed the gravity of the decision.
A later misunderstanding created an escalation in the dispute when a message incorrectly claimed that no replacement board would be provided. The organizer saw how the rumor could destabilize the agreement reached at the meeting, especially if residents believed their questions had been ignored. She recognized the gravity of losing trust in the process, even though the physical object at issue was small.
Compare an alternative with the original word in each passage. Shared meanings do not make every pair interchangeable.
Synonym reference scope and sources
The groups distinguish the senses selected for this study entry. Closest synonyms and broader related expressions have separate labels. The listed sources support lexical selection; not every phrase is a direct quotation from a source.
How the synonym reference was prepared / WordNet 3.0 license