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.
Our earnestness is what inspired the founding generation to take such great risks in service of a belief.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 2, 2026
The achievement of July 1776 was to articulate an idea—that life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness are inalienable rights endowed by the Creator—that could justify, sustain and reward that kind of earnestness.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 2, 2026
That earnestness was always my favorite element of their work.
From Salon ● Jun. 6, 2026
Mattammal said he’s focused on curriculum, job readiness, data collection and analysis and on promoting innovation, although all the candidates would assert earnestness in these arenas.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 1, 2026
‘Do not speak of such things!’ said Strider quickly, and with surprising earnestness.
From "The Fellowship of the Ring" by J.R.R. Tolkien
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.
