gravitas
/ˈɡɹævɪtɑs/
Word Rarity
Rare
Frequency: Zipf frequency 2.57 in modern English
12
Scrabble Score
8
Letters
3
Syllables
7
Unique Chars
Meaning
Example Sentences
- "“Because he refuses to level with the American people about the dangers which he has placed American troops and our diplomatic corps, personnel and civilians, as well as our partners and allies, or demonstrated even a modicum of presidential gravitas, I will attempt to do that,” said Mr. Biden, who is one of 14 candidates seeking the Democratic presidential nomination."
- "The other campaign against Ms. Yellen has been subtler, involving repeated suggestions — almost always off the record — that she lacks the “gravitas” to lead the Fed. What does that mean? […] Sorry, but it’s hard to escape the conclusion that gravitas, in this context, mainly means possessing a Y chromosome."
- "Unlike most moons of the solar system, ours has the heft, the gravitational gravitas, to pull itself into a sphere."
- "[Liz Truss] fails to display intellectual gravitas, they say, relying instead upon cheap slogans, and struggles to make convincing speeches, another facet of her character that could be quickly exposed under the intense scrutiny of Downing Street."
- "It's a light rail system, after all, although it does operate at the heavier end of the light rail spectrum. Yet it doesn't have the history or the gravitas that (say) London Underground has."
Etymology
Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *gʷreh₂- Proto-Indo-European *-us Proto-Indo-European *gʷréh₂us Proto-Italic *gʷraus Latin gravis Proto-Indo-European *-teh₂ Proto-Indo-European *-ts Proto-Indo-European *-teh₂ts Proto-Italic *-tāts Latin -tās Latin gravitāsbor. English gravitas Borrowed from Latin gravitās (“weight, heaviness”). Doublet of gravity.
Word Breakdown
- Root: *gʷreh₂-
Regional Pronunciation
- American English: /ˈɡɹævɪtɑs/
- British English: /ˈɡɹæv.ɪ.tɑːs/