gravitas means seriousness in bearing or manner; dignity. It carries an Arena rating of 1905, earned across 50 head-to-head judged battles.
Among words judged in Lexicurio's Arena, gravitas ranks #36 of 42,749 for Qualifying, #262 of 17,126 for Most Elegant Words, #484 of 17,134 for Most Malleable Words, #866 of 17,127 for Words That Escaped Their Books.
gravitas is pronounced /ˈɡɹævɪtɑs/.
Why “gravitas” is a great word
Gravitas is the dignified weight of character and seriousness conveyed in one’s bearing or manner. From Latin *gravitas* ("weight, heaviness"), figuratively extended to mean "dignity, seriousness, importance." Unlike "solemnity," which adheres to a specific occasion, or "levity," its direct, light-hearted antithesis, gravitas is an intrinsic substance carried within. It is the slow, measured cadence of a judge’s speech, the profound silence a leader commands before answering, and the deep-set calm in the eyes of someone who has borne great responsibility—the unhurried gravity of someone who has learned that presence, like stone, is most convincing when it simply is.
Etymology
Borrowed from Latin gravitās (“weight, heaviness”). Doublet of gravity.
noun
- Seriousness in bearing or manner; dignity.
- Substance, weight.
Definitions & examples from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 3.0).
Words closest in meaning
By meaning, not spelling — each word's AI semantic fingerprint, nearest first.
- gravity 80% match — Senses relating to seriousness.; Of an activity such as a ceremony, a person's conduct, etc.: the quality of being deeply serious and solemn, especially in a dignified manner; seriousness, solemnity; (countable, archaic or obsolete) a serious or solemn thing, such as a matter, a comment, etc. vs gravitas →
- gravely 68% match — In a grave or serious manner. vs gravitas →
- gravesome 66% match — Very serious; full of weight, meaning; grievous. vs gravitas →
- solemnness 65% match — The state or quality of being solemn. vs gravitas →
- earnestness 65% match — The quality of being earnest; sincerity; seriousness. vs gravitas →
- solemnity 63% match — The quality of being deeply serious and sober or solemn. vs gravitas →
- dignified 63% match — Having an attitude or bearing that connotes respectability and poise. vs gravitas →
- portance 62% match — The manner in which one carries oneself; behaviour. vs gravitas →