Link Centre Dictionary

solemn

so·lemn

UK/ˈsɒləm/ US/ˈsɑləm/ fairly common

adjective

1.

dignified and somber in manner or character and committed to keeping promises

  • “a grave God-fearing man”
  • “a quiet sedate nature”
  • “as sober as a judge”
  • “a solemn promise”
  • “the judge was solemn as he pronounced sentence”
Synonyms
Similar
2.

characterized by a firm and humorless belief in the validity of your opinions

  • “both sides were deeply in earnest, even passionate”
  • “an entirely sincere and cruel tyrant”
  • “a film with a solemn social message”
Synonyms
Similar

Origin

From Middle English solempne, solemne (“performed with religious ceremony or reverence; devoted to religious observances, sacred; ceremonious, formal; of a vow: made under a religious sanction, binding; religious celebration, celebration of a feast day; famous, well-known; important; grand, imposing; awe-inspiring, impressive; grave, serious; dignified; enunciated or held formally”) [and other forms], from Old French solempne, solemne (“serious, solemn”) [and other forms], or from its etymon Late Latin sōlempnis, sōlennis, from Latin sōlemnis, from sollemnis (“appointed, established, fixed; common, customary, ordinary, ritual, traditional, usual; ceremonial, religious, solemn; festive; annual, yearly”) [and other forms]. The further etymology is uncertain; sollus (“entire, whole”) (ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *solh₂- (“whole”)) + epulum (“banquet, feast”) (in the sense of a ritual; perhaps ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *h₁ed- (“to eat”)) has been suggested.

Phrases

  • lodge solemn representation
  • solemn mass
  • solemn vow

Related words

Word family

WordNet 2.1 (Princeton University). Wiktionary (CC BY-SA). CMU Pronouncing Dictionary. WordNet 2.1 Copyright Princeton University. All rights reserved. Wiktionary content is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike Licence.