earnestly
Americanadverb
Etymology
Origin of earnestly
First recorded before 1000; earnest 1 ( def. ) + -ly
Explanation
You'd feel terrible laughing at the goofy love song your friend wrote and performed in front of an audience, especially if he sang it earnestly, or seriously and sincerely. If you do something earnestly, you do it in a serious, heartfelt way. You might earnestly promise your friend that you'll never forget her birthday again, or earnestly ask your grandmother if there's anything you can do to help her out while she's recovering from surgery. If you earnestly study for your upcoming French exam, it means you're really buckling down to learn those vocabulary words. The Old English root of earnestly is eornost, which means "seriousness or serious intent."
Vocabulary lists containing earnestly
"The Landlady" by Roald Dahl
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Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
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Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Vulgar auteurism doesn’t necessarily suggest that a film is as “good” as others of its ilk, only that the film earnestly explores ideas as enduring as those in any formally rigid, awards-bait film.
From Salon ● Sep. 23, 2026
The researcher, Jacob Coxon, said in a social media post: “People building AI earnestly believe that it could kill us all by the end of the decade.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 18, 2026
“We really do earnestly believe AI could kill all humans!” wrote Evan Hubinger, adding that he believed the chances we all die in the next decade are greater than 10%.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 17, 2026
"The people building AI earnestly believe that it could kill us all by the end of the decade," Coxon wrote on X.
From Barron's ● Sep. 13, 2026
“Well, sir,” said Fred earnestly, “I watch every episode, and Nala is amazing and Scruffy is funny. I definitely think they’re both worth watching.”
From "Dog Squad" by Chris Grabenstein
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
