Question

grave We realized that the situation was grave and that the slightest incident could spark all-out war. greɪv

Accepted Answer

(1) Requiring serious thought or concern. (2) Serious and formal in appearance or manner. Gravity has a familiar physical meaning but also a nonphysical meaning—basically “seriousness.” Thus, something grave possesses gravity. You can refer to the gravity of a person's manner, though public figures today seem to have a lot less gravity than they used to have. Or you can talk about a grave situation, as in the example sentence. But even though Shakespeare makes a pun on grave when a dying character talks about being buried the next day (“Ask for me tomorrow and you shall find me a grave man”), the word meaning “hole for burying a body” isn't actually related.

word	grave
definition	(1) Requiring serious thought or concern. (2) Serious and formal in appearance or manner.
eg_sentence	We realized that the situation was grave and that the slightest incident could spark all-out war.
explanation	Gravity has a familiar physical meaning but also a nonphysical meaning—basically “seriousness.” Thus, something grave possesses gravity. You can refer to the gravity of a person's manner, though public figures today seem to have a lot less gravity than they used to have. Or you can talk about a grave situation, as in the example sentence. But even though Shakespeare makes a pun on grave when a dying character talks about being buried the next day (“Ask for me tomorrow and you shall find me a grave man”), the word meaning “hole for burying a body” isn't actually related.
IPA	greɪv

Grave Gravity Meaning Requiring Thought Concern Formal Appearance