earnest

[ ur-nist ]

See synonyms for: earnest earnests earnestly earnestness on Thesaurus.com

adjective

serious and zealous in intention, purpose, or effort: an earnest worker.
showing depth and sincerity of feeling: earnest words; an earnest entreaty.

seriously important; demanding or receiving serious attention.

noun

seriousness and zealousness: to speak in earnest.

Origin of earnest

First recorded before 1000; Middle English erneste, Old English eornoste (adjective); Middle English ernest, Old English eornost (noun); cognate with Dutch, German ernest

synonym study For earnest

1. Earnest, resolute, serious, sincere imply having qualities of depth and firmness. Earnest implies having a purpose and being steadily and soberly eager in pursuing it: an earnest student. Resolute adds a quality of determination: resolute in defending the right. Serious implies having depth and a soberness of attitude that contrasts with gaiety and frivolity; it may include the qualities of both earnestness and resolution: serious and thoughtful. Sincere suggests genuineness, trustworthiness, and absence of superficiality: a sincere interest in music.

Other words for earnest

1	fervent, intent, purposeful, determined, industrious, ambitious

See synonyms for earnest on Thesaurus.com

Opposites for earnest

frivolous

See antonyms for earnest on Thesaurus.com

Other words from earnest

ear·nest·ly, adverb
ear·nest·ness, noun

Words Nearby earnest

Other definitions for earnest (2 of 2)

earnest²

[ ur-nist ]

noun

a portion of something, given or done in advance as a pledge of the remainder.
Law. earnest money.

anything that gives pledge, promise, or indication of what is to follow.

Origin of earnest

First recorded in 1175–1225; Middle English ernes(t), alteration of Old French erres, plural of erre “earnest money,” from Latin arr(h)a, short for arr(h)abō (perhaps by misunderstanding -bō as a future tense ending; cf. placebo ), from Greek arrhabṓn, from Semitic (compare Hebrew ʿērāvôn “security, pledge”); cf. arras²

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use earnest in a sentence

So good that even if you forget what they were advertising — Coca-Cola — you’ll remember the fearsome Pittsburgh Steeler defensive tackle and the earnest young fan and everything it said, or didn’t need to say, about race.
The Brave New World of Advertising | Daniel Malloy | February 7, 2021 | Ozy
Prototyping on the game’s movement systems started before development on the game began in earnest.
Virtual reality has real problems. Here’s how game developers seek to delete them. | Derek Swinhart | January 21, 2021 | Washington Post
He also earned his first Emmy nomination for his voice-over performance in “Central Park,” the earnest and eccentric Apple TV Plus animated series.
After ‘Hamilton,’ Leslie Odom Jr. just wanted to be himself. Then the role of Sam Cooke came calling. | Thomas Floyd | January 14, 2021 | Washington Post
My hope for 2021 is to see more of these ideas explored and adopted in earnest.
Five ways to make AI a greater force for good in 2021 | Karen Hao | January 8, 2021 | MIT Technology Review
Vaccinating the world will be perhaps the single greatest global challenge of 2021, and that process is now beginning in earnest.
The challenge of 2021: Vaccinating the world | Dave Lawler | December 26, 2020 | Axios

It almost makes you wonder if Lizard Squad did this just to annoy Anonymous and the other earnest champions of privacy.
The Attack on the Hidden Internet | Marc Rogers | December 29, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
He becomes especially earnest when the conversation turns to his role as The Baker in Into the Woods.
New ‘Late Late Show’ Host James Corden Would Like to Manage Your Expectations | Kevin Fallon | December 18, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
Lyricist E. Y. “Yip” Harburg was as provocative as Hammerstein, though with a much less earnest, more whimsical sensibility.
When Broadway Musicals Were Dark And Subversive | Laurence Maslon | December 16, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
The US first considered the idea in the 1820s, but interest was revived in earnest after the California Gold Rush began in 1849.
China’s Nicaragua Canal Could Spark a New Central America Revolution | Nina Lakhani | November 30, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
Few politicians garner the celebrity that Senator Booker does, and fewer still seem so earnest and human while doing it.
Talking Tofurky With Newly Vegan Cory Booker | Vlad Chituc | November 26, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
The hum of earnest or glad voices here contrasted strongly with silence and meditation there.
Glances at Europe | Horace Greeley
This is a slow process, but earnest hearts and united minds will render it a sure one.
Glances at Europe | Horace Greeley
The earnest youth grinding at the academic mill has dreamed it in the pauses of his studious labor.
The Unsolved Riddle of Social Justice | Stephen Leacock
We made the freight camp, however, just as the storm cut loose in deadly earnest.
Raw Gold | Bertrand W. Sinclair
A remarkable man he was indeed; simple and earnest in manner, with a fine eye, a full dark beard and sunburnt face.
Fifty Years of Railway Life in England, Scotland and Ireland | Joseph Tatlow

British Dictionary definitions for earnest (1 of 2)

earnest¹

/ (ˈɜːnɪst) /

adjective

serious in mind or intention: an earnest student
showing or characterized by sincerity of intention: an earnest promise

demanding or receiving serious attention

noun

seriousness
in earnest with serious or sincere intentions

Origin of earnest

Old English eornost; related to Old High German ernust seriousness, Old Norse ern energetic, efficient, Gothic arniba secure

Derived forms of earnest

earnestly, adverb
earnestness, noun

British Dictionary definitions for earnest (2 of 2)

earnest²

/ (ˈɜːnɪst) /

noun

a part or portion of something given in advance as a guarantee of the remainder
Also called: earnest money contract law something given, usually a nominal sum of money, to confirm a contract

any token of something to follow; pledge; assurance

Origin of earnest

C13: from Old French erres pledges, plural of erre earnest money, from Latin arrha, shortened from arrabō pledge, from Greek arrabon, from Hebrew `ērābhōn pledge, from `ārabh he pledged

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Idioms and Phrases with earnest

earnest

see in earnest.

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