Make Your Point > Archived Issues > GRAVITAS
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GRAVITAS:
Say it "GRAV ih toss."
To hear it, click here.
connect this word to others:
Firefly fans, remember this scene between Mal and Kaylee?
Mal: "Help me find our man. S'posed to be older, kinda stocky, wearing a red sash crossways..."
Kaylee: "Is that him?"
Mal: "That's the buffet table."
Kaylee: "Well, how can we be sure unless we question it?"
Mal here is all business: his mood is pure gravity; he's trying to behave with gravitas.
Kaylee, though, is playful: her mood is pure levity. And she's gravitating toward the buffet table.
Can you define those three linked words: gravity, levity, and gravitating? If you're not sure, give them a click.
definition:
We took the word "gravitas" straight from Latin, where it means "heaviness" as well as "dignity, influence."
In English, we use "gravitas" to mean "the serious, non-playful way that people act when they're in serious situations."
grammatical bits:
Part of speech:
Noun, the uncountable kind: "his gravitas," "she spoke with gravitas."
Other forms:
A very closely related word that means the same thing is simply "gravity," as in "He walked to the podium with gravity."
how to use it:
When you need a formal, serious, dignified word for someone's formal, serious, dignified way of acting or speaking, pick "gravitas."
It's much rarer than synonyms like "gravity," "dignity," "formality," "seriousness," and so on, so it's great for emphasis.
Talk about someone's gravitas, or about someone doing or saying something with gravitas. Or, talk about the gravitas of someone's manners, speech, behavior, facial expressions, etc.
You can also talk about the gravitas of a moment, an event, or a situation.
Or, talk about people, words, and behaviors that express gravitas, bring or lend gravitas to a situation, compromise the gravitas of some situation, etc. Here's a maid of honor who knows how to dial down the gravitas:
examples:
"The memo from then-Professor Elizabeth Warren was written on Harvard Law School letterhead, a symbol of gravitas for a scholar renowned as a champion for consumers victimized by predatory banks and other big businesses."
— Annie Linskey and Matt Viser, Washington Post, 9 December 2019
"There was talk of the younger Trudeau entering politics, but many observers felt he lacked gravitas. He had spent his mid-20s drifting between stints as a bar bouncer and snowboard instructor."
— Ashifa Kassam, The Guardian, 22 August 2019
has this page helped you understand "gravitas"?
study it:
Explain the meaning of "gravitas" without saying "solemnity" or "austerity."
try it out:
Often, when we see the word "gravitas," people are complaining about the lack of gravitas. It makes sense: we all have our own ideas about what's appropriate to do and not do, to say and not say.
Think of a time when people complained that someone else wasn't being serious enough or dignified enough.
Fill in the blanks: "There was a controversy over whether (someone's particular comments or actions) lacked gravitas."
Example 1: "There was a controversy over whether Seth MacFarlane's edgy humor lacked the gravitas that the Oscars demand."
Example 2: "Michelle Obama...wore a chic sheath dress and a string of pearls (so far, so Camelot) but her bare arms grabbed the fashion headlines. Beneath the sniffy controversy over whether the look lacked gravitas was an establishment unease with this new kind of first lady, who radiated energy and strength rather than decorative decorum."
— Jess Cartner-Morley, The Guardian, 22 November 2019
before you review, play:
Try to spend 20 seconds or more on the game below. Don’t skip straight to the review—first, let your working memory empty out.
Our game this month is "Polygon of Predestination!"
With a high five to TheWordFinder.com for its puzzle generator, I'm Pat-Sajacking that spin-the-wheel game from TV. Apply your alliterative acumen to solve the puzzle. The category all month long is: "Beastly Blunders and Criminal Capers."
From the previous issue:
This phrase dates back to an 1883 issue of a humor magazine called Funny Folks: "[The electro-automatic evangelist] commenced to pour forth in the tones of a steam hooter, which penetrated to every corner of the tent, its somewhat mixed message." In case you were wondering--because I was--a "steam hooter" is the same as a steam whistle. And I suspect that an "electro-automatic evangelist" is 1883's satirical version of The Jim Bakker Show.
Try this one today:
Not sure yet? Need to see a bit more? Click here.
review this word:
A. FACILITY (ease of doing).
B. FELICITY (cheerful delight).
C. FLIPPANCY (disrespectful silliness).
2. Lincoln's Gettysburg Address remains a model of brevity (at just a few minutes long) and gravitas (full of words like "_____" and "_____").
A. we .. us
B. war .. work
C. consecrate .. nobly
a final word:
I hope you're enjoying Make Your Point. It's made with love.
I'm Liesl Johnson, a reading and writing tutor on a mission to explore, illuminate, and celebrate words.
From my blog:
36 ways to study words.
Why we forget words, & how to remember them.
How to use sophisticated words without being awkward.
To be a sponsor and include your ad in an issue, please contact me at Liesl@HiloTutor.com.
Disclaimer: When I write definitions, I use plain language and stick to the words' common, useful applications. If you're interested in authoritative and multiple definitions of words, I encourage you to check a dictionary. Also, because I'm American, I stick to American English when I share words' meanings, usage, and pronunciations; these elements sometimes vary across world Englishes.
Firefly fans, remember this scene between Mal and Kaylee?
We took the word "gravitas" straight from Latin, where it means "heaviness" as well as "dignity, influence."
Part of speech:
When you need a formal, serious, dignified word for someone's formal, serious, dignified way of acting or speaking, pick "gravitas."
"The memo from then-Professor Elizabeth Warren was written on Harvard Law School letterhead, a symbol of gravitas for a scholar renowned as a champion for consumers victimized by predatory banks and other big businesses."
Explain the meaning of "gravitas" without saying "solemnity" or "austerity."
Often, when we see the word "gravitas," people are complaining about the lack of gravitas. It makes sense: we all have our own ideas about what's appropriate to do and not do, to say and not say.
Try to spend 20 seconds or more on the game below. Don’t skip straight to the review—first, let your working memory empty out.
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