earnestness
Americannoun
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seriousness and zeal in intention, purpose, or effort.
Socrates was a man of great moral earnestness, and exemplified in his own life some of the noblest virtues.
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depth and sincerity of feeling.
Speak with conviction and earnestness, and the people watching and listening will believe you.
Etymology
Origin of earnestness
Explanation
Earnestness is a quality of sincere interest, belief, or opinion. The earnestness with which you recite your favorite poem might make your English class stop whispering and really listen. Your favorite history teacher's earnestness can be seen in the serious, intense way he talks about the Civil War or Prohibition. Little kids often approach the world with an earnestness that's reflected in their amazement and wonder at seemingly ordinary things, like fireflies or simple magic tricks. Earnestness comes from the adjective earnest, "showing sincere conviction," which has an Old English root, eornoste, "zealous."
Vocabulary lists containing earnestness
The Devil's Arithmetic
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Dracula
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Lee Surrenders to Grant (1865)
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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.
Having lost his right arm, he is told, in all earnestness, “There are people who, funnily enough, would give their right arm to be able to do what you do.”
From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 24, 2025
I hear similarities in the guitar playing, though I think you balance earnestness with a knowing quality I don’t get from stomp-clap.
From Los Angeles Times • Oct. 8, 2025
Over time, however, they found that their partner became more caring when they maintained key traits like earnestness and an affinity for art.
From Slate • Sep. 25, 2025
He characterized the backlash against his song as an aversion to earnestness, one that no doubt existed at the time his single was climbing the charts.
From Salon • Aug. 13, 2025
He was talking intently across the table at her and in his earnestness his hand had fallen upon and covered her own.
From " The Great Gatsby" by F. Scott Fitzgerald
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.
