solemnity
Weight of ceremony
Solemnity is the quality of being serious, formal, and dignified—the opposite of levity.
Religious ceremonies, courtroom proceedings, and funerals carry solemnity.
The word suggests gravity appropriate to important occasions: The solemnity of the moment silenced everyone.
In legal contexts, solemnities are the formal requirements that make an act valid: the solemnities of marriage.
Dignified, weighty manner
- composureEmotional self-control
- statelinessDignified, imposing quality
- nobilityTitled ruling class
- decorumFitting social conduct
grandeur · majesty · poise · uprightness · respectability · honor · eminence · refinement
Earnest, weighty demeanor
- earnestnessGenuine seriousness of intent
- sombernessGrave, serious quality
- thoughtfulnessAttentive care for others
- weightinessState of being consequential
soberness · grimness · severity · sternness · heaviness · momentousness · significance · importance
Formal moving line
- inaugurationFormal beginning ceremony
- commemorationAct of honoring memory
- convocationFormal ceremonial gathering
- ordinationClergy appointment ceremony
coronation · liturgy · eulogy · consecration · benediction · requiem · funeral · memorial
Lack of complexity
- severityIntensity of sternness
- sternnessUncompromising strictness of manner
- rigorStrict, thorough precision
- restraintControl over impulses
spareness · plainness · starkness · asceticism · self-denial · abstemiousness · frugality · temperance
Prescribed conduct rules
- etiquetteRules of polite conduct
- proprietyCorrectness of conduct
- ceremonyFormal event marking occasions
- conventionAgreed standard of behavior
stiffness · ceremoniousness · punctilio · decorum · rigidity · ritual · correctness · officiousness
Profound admiring respect
- homageExpression of deep respect
- deferenceYielding to another's judgment
- tributeOffering of respect
- acknowledgmentConfirmation of receipt
devotion · obeisance · awe · sanctity · piety · worship · sacredness · hallowedness
gravitas
Dignified, weighty manner
- composureEmotional self-control
- statelinessDignified, imposing quality
- nobilityTitled ruling class
decorum · grandeur · majesty · poise · uprightness · respectability · honor · eminence · refinement · bearing
seriousness
Earnest, weighty demeanor
- earnestnessGenuine seriousness of intent
- sombernessGrave, serious quality
- thoughtfulnessAttentive care for others
weightiness · soberness · grimness · severity · sternness · heaviness · momentousness · significance · importance · consequence
procession
Formal moving line
- inaugurationFormal beginning ceremony
- commemorationAct of honoring memory
- convocationFormal ceremonial gathering
ordination · coronation · liturgy · eulogy · consecration · benediction · requiem · funeral · memorial · graduation
simplicity
Lack of complexity
- severityIntensity of sternness
- sternnessUncompromising strictness of manner
- rigorStrict, thorough precision
restraint · spareness · plainness · starkness · asceticism · self-denial · abstemiousness · frugality · temperance · moderation
protocol
Prescribed conduct rules
- etiquetteRules of polite conduct
- proprietyCorrectness of conduct
- ceremonyFormal event marking occasions
convention · stiffness · ceremoniousness · punctilio · decorum · rigidity · ritual · correctness · officiousness · pomp
veneration
Profound admiring respect
acknowledgment · devotion · obeisance · awe · sanctity · piety · worship · sacredness · hallowedness · genuflection
- courtroom etiquettestanding, rising, posture, Your Honor, your honor
- ambianceatmosphere, mood, feel, vibes, vibe
- seriousnessgravity, earnestness, gravitas, severity, sobriety
- Christmas Worshipmidnight mass, nativity, Christmas Eve service, Christmas carols, candlelight service
- church calendarAdvent, Easter Sunday, Lent, Christmas, Pentecost
- church feastsfeast day, holy day, All Saints Day, All Souls Day, Christmas Day
solemnitylevity
Lack of seriousness
lightheartedness · frivolity · merriment · gaiety · mirth
solemnityprofanity
Vulgar or obscene speech
desecration · irreverence · sacrilege · secularity · blasphemy
solemnityfrivolousness
Lack of due seriousness
triviality · unseriousness · shallowness · superficiality · flightiness
solemnize, solemnized, solemnization, solemnities, solemnizing, solemnizes