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to take seriously

to take seriously

608 3.1
Think something is important and pay attention to it
  • phrasal verb
  • /teɪk ˈsɪrɪəsli/
translation icon : tomar en serio
  • It's important to take sleep seriously.
  • take very seriously
  • take too seriously
  • take seriously enough

So you're allowed to take it seriously as well.

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Examples

  • Finally, all students appeared to take the assessments seriously and took their time thoroughly answering the questions.

    Academic text (2011)
  • You need to take me seriously.

  • But I think this community should be taken seriously and shown respect.

  • In high school, she started to take the arts more seriously.

  • I appreciate the majority of you taking this unit seriously.

  • These men take their privacy very seriously.

  • I need people to start taking me seriously as an artist that creates original music.

  • So we should maybe take this seriously, as did these authors.

  • The political class tends to be insulated from crime and therefore does not take it very seriously.

    Academic text (2011)
  • You need to take seriously the warning signs of stress before they become a bigger issue.

Synonyms

to take account
vsto take seriously
184 4.1

Consider a fact or idea and include it when making a decision

focuses on treating things with respect or concern rather than mere awareness
to take into account
vsto take seriously
103 3.2

Consider something when making a decision

is more general, applying respect or concern beyond decision making
to take to heart
vsto take seriously
  • Informal
33 4.5

To feel very upset or moved by what others say

considers something important and worthy of attention rather than being emotionally affected

Antonyms

1.0

Choose not to pay attention to someone or something

332 3.0

To refuse to accept an idea or claim

How Serious

to prioritize
  • US
77 4.1
to act on
145 3.2
to take seriously
608 3.1
to acknowledge
367 3.8
to ignore
1.0

Surface Forms

take seriously infinitive
taking seriously present participle
takes seriously third person singular
taken seriously past participle

Morphology

take + seriously

The meaning 'to consider something important' is directly and compositionally derived from combining 'take' (to treat or construe) with 'seriously' (with seriousness/not joking). This is a standard verb + adverb combination with close cross-linguistic parallels, so a B1 learner who knows both words will readily infer the MWE's meaning.

Etymology

The phrase take seriously comes from the simple image of picking up something important and holding it carefully: you take it in your hands and treat it seriously, so you give it full attention. That's why it means 'to consider something important'.