gravitas.

A quality of seriousness, dignity, and authority that commands respect.

Use it for

Words that belong together

• personal gravitas
• speak with gravitas

On the page

She spoke with a gravitas that made the interruption seem childish.

His youthful face lacked the gravitas expected of a judge.

Usage notes

Primary category: literary. Forms: Uncountable; no ordinary plural. Legacy lexical fields mirror sense 1 only. Use numbered sense fields for all meanings.