Dead serious Meaning in English

expression

US

ˈdɛd/ /ˈsɪɹiəs

DED SEER-ee-uss

UK

dˈɛd/ /sˈiəɹɪəs

DED SEER-ee-uss

Definition

Used to emphasize that someone is completely serious and not joking at all.

Usage & Nuances

Informal and emphatic; often used to clarify that you're not joking, sometimes as "I'm dead serious" or "He's dead serious". A stronger version of just "serious"; do not use in formal writing.

• Spanish: totalmente serio - muy en serio
• Portuguese (BR): seríssimo - falando sério
• Portuguese (PT): completamente sério - muito a sério
• Chinese (Simplified): 非常严肃 - 绝对认真
• Chinese (Traditional): 非常嚴肅 - 絕對認真
• Hindi: बहुत गंभीर - पूरी तरह से सच
• Arabic: جدي للغاية - بمنتهى الجدية
• Bengali: একদম সিরিয়াস - ভীষণ সিরিয়াস
• Russian: совершенно серьёзен - абсолютно серьёзен
• Japanese: 本気 - 真剣そのもの
• Vietnamese: nghiêm túc hoàn toàn - cực kỳ nghiêm túc
• Korean: 완전 진지하다 - 완전히 심각하다
• Turkish: tam anlamıyla ciddi - tamamen ciddi
• Urdu: بالکل سنجیدہ - پوری طرح سنجیدہ
• Indonesian: sangat serius - benar-benar serius

Example Sentences

I'm dead serious about moving to another country.

basic

Are you dead serious?

basic

He looked dead serious when he made the promise.

basic

Trust me, I'm dead serious—this is not a joke.

natural

She was dead serious when she said she'd quit if things didn't change.

natural

You think I'm kidding, but I'm dead serious about this plan.

natural