How to use "serious implication"

What Does "serious implication" Mean?

• The collocation "serious implication" denotes a grave or significant consequence, often with negative undertones. It suggests that something could have important and potentially damaging results.
• The meaning is compositional. "Serious" modifies the noun "implication," indicating the degree of importance or severity of the consequence.
• Register: neutral to formal

How to Use It

• Grammatical pattern: adjective + noun
• Typical objects, complements, or prepositions that follow: "for" + noun/pronoun (e.g., "serious implication for the economy"), "of" + noun/gerund (e.g., "serious implication of ignoring the warning"), or a "that"-clause (e.g., "serious implication that the project will fail").
• The components cannot be separated, as "serious implication" functions as a single unit.
• What sounds unnatural: Using a synonym for "serious" that doesn't commonly collocate with "implication" (e.g., "grave implication" is possible but less common than "serious implication"). Similarly, using an adjective that implies a positive outcome would create a contradiction.

Real-World Examples

These examples are sourced from serious implication on Ludwig.guru.

"Many of the long-term issues could have serious implication for New Jersey commuters." — The New York Times

"A downgrade can have serious implication for a bank's bottom line, potentially increasing the cost of borrowing and eroding the confidence of customers and lenders." — The New York Times

"The most serious implication of this is that the sector is failing to convince young people that it offers good career options." — The Guardian

"However, the more serious implication would be for any players who had used the same email address and password combination for other online services, from shopping and banking to email and social networking." — The Guardian - Tech

"Marcus Agius, who resigned as chairman of Barclays as a result of the scandal, described the moment last June when he discovered what had been going on with Libor: "I was sick to my stomach because I realised just what an appalling thing it was and I realised what a serious implication it would have for the bank"." — BBC

Examples sourced from https://ludwig.guru/s/serious+implication

Similar Phrases and Alternatives

Phrase	Context
grave consequence	More formal and intense, emphasizing the severity of the outcome.
significant impact	More general, can be positive or negative, focusing on the magnitude of the effect.
profound effect	Emphasizes the depth and far-reaching nature of the impact.
far-reaching consequences	Highlights the scope and long-term impact of the outcomes.
major ramifications	Suggests a cascading effect of consequences spreading outward.
severe repercussions	Implies negative consequences, often in response to an action.
critical importance	Focuses on the high degree of significance or necessity.

Common Mistakes

• Using a weaker adjective like "slight" or "minor" with "implication" when the intention is to convey seriousness.
• Confusing "implication" with a word that sounds similar but has a different meaning, such as "application" or "complication."
• Learners might use an incorrect adjective or noun that doesn't commonly collocate with the other, resulting in an unnatural-sounding phrase.

Quick-Reference Summary

Expression	Meaning	Grammatical Pattern	Register
serious implication	A grave or significant consequence, often negative	adjective + noun	Neutral to Formal

FAQs

Can the words in "serious implication" be separated?

No, the words in "serious implication" should not be separated. It functions as a single unit, with "serious" directly modifying "implication" to convey the severity of the consequence.

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How does "serious implication" differ from "significant impact"?

While both phrases denote importance, "serious implication" generally leans towards negative consequences. "Significant impact," on the other hand, can be either positive or negative, simply emphasizing the magnitude of the effect without necessarily implying a negative outcome.

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What's a common mistake people make when using "serious implication," and how can I avoid it?

A common mistake is using an adjective that doesn't naturally collocate with "implication," such as saying "heavy implication" instead of "serious implication." To avoid this, stick to commonly used adjective-noun pairings and consult a dictionary or corpus to confirm the naturalness of the collocation.