真面目 vs. 深刻

[Schizophrenic Cat]

「真面目」と「深刻」間には違うことが何ですか。例文によって、違うことが初心者にとって細かそうですと思います。皆さんの思いはどうですか。

 

[gengo]

I'd say the most important difference is that 真面目 is mainly used in positive contexts, and 深刻 in negative. As in "he is a serious student" versus "the situation is serious."

 

[Yukkuri]

To me, 深刻 sounds more serious than 真面目。
If you have 深刻な顔, you are most likely to have something on your mind. If you have 真面目な顔, you're having such a face simply because there's no funny thing happening.