adjective
serious
B1
'ernsthaft' means 'serious' or 'earnest', often about intentions or the seriousness of an action. It's gradable (comparative: ernsthafter; superlative: am ernsthaftesten). Use differs from 'ernst': 'ernsthaft' emphasizes earnestness or degree. Common collocation: 'es ernsthaft meinen' (to mean something seriously). Used attributively and adverbially; regular adjective inflection.
Examples
Die Verletzung scheint ernsthaft zu sein.
The injury seems to be serious.
Der Arzt riet dem Patienten, die Beschwerden ernsthaft zu behandeln, weil sich die Symptome verschlechterten.
The doctor advised the patient to treat the complaints seriously because the symptoms worsened.
Details
Mnemonics
a doctor with a concerned, concentrated expression indicating seriousness
think 'earnest' + '-haft' (has) — holding seriousness
Notes
Ernsthaft often stresses the seriousness or severity of a situation or the sincerity of an attitude. It is used with events (eine ernsthafte Verletzung) and with persons (ernsthaft interessiert).