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
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.
I arrived at Columbia in my 30s with the earnestness of a convert.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 2, 2026
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
The emotional earnestness that would often come through in Reiner’s work first emerged here, making what could have been a run-of-the-mill exercise into something more.
From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 15, 2025
That’s not to say that the movie feels disingenuous; it’s brimming with earnestness, but fervor can be easily mistaken for fanfare.
From Salon • Nov. 7, 2025
I was surprised that he prayed for Papa with the same earnestness that he prayed for himself and Aunty Ifeoma.
From "Purple Hibiscus" by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
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.
