The Oxford Thesaurus An A-Z Dictionary of Synonyms INTRO ...

summer's evening was shattered by an enormous explosion. 2
tranquillity, peacefulness, peaceableness, unexcitability,
calmness, calm, composure, self-possession, poise, aplomb,
even-temperedness, temperance, nonchalance, cool-headedness,
placidity, Colloq unflappability: The serenity of her nature
was like a safe harbour to the friends who sought comfort from
the turbulence of their lives.
serious adj. 1 grave, solemn, earnest, unsmiling, poker-faced,
straight-faced, sedate, sober, pensive, thoughtful; humourless,
sombre, grim, dour, severe: One should be wary of the person
who is always serious, who cannot see the ludicrous side of
life. 2 grave, important, vital, dangerous, weighty,
significant, momentous, crucial, consequential, life-and-death
or life-or-death, urgent, pressing; no laughing matter, of
consequence or moment or importance: Things like the greenhouse
effect and the hole in the ozone layer are serious concerns for
all mankind. 3 sincere, straightforward, not joking or fooling,
genuine, honest: Is he serious about wanting me to fetch him a
left-handed wrench? 4 acute, critical, life-threatening, bad,
dangerous, nasty, perilous, alarming, grave, severe, precarious:
His condition is serious and we might have to operate tonight.
She had no idea that measles could be such a serious illness.
seriously adv. 1 gravely, badly, severely, critically: Two men were
seriously injured in the explosion. 2 really, honestly, Scout's
honour, sincerely, truly, candidly, openly, Colloq joking or
kidding aside, no joking or kidding or fooling, cross one's
heart (and hope to die): Seriously, kids, I meant what I said
about going to bed on time, or no treats tomorrow at the beach.
3 soberly, earnestly, unquestioningly, without a doubt, at face
value: What teacher takes seriously that old story about a
grandmother's illness as an excuse for absence?
sermon n. 1 lecture, lesson, preaching, reprimand, reproach, reproof,
remonstration, remonstrance, scolding, harangue, Colloq
talking-to, dressing-down: Mother gave me a long sermon last
night about getting home late. 2 homily, address, exhortation,
lesson, lecture, speech, talk, discourse: We thought that
Father Keiller's sermon on vanity was especially appropriate.
serpentine
adj. 1 evil, bad, diabolical, satanic, Mephistophelian,