Earnest people are very serious and sincere in what they say or do, because they think that their actions and beliefs are important.
Ella was a pious, earnest woman.
His expression is as earnest when he smiles as when he is arguing.
Despite their earnest efforts, they still struggle to win support.
Synonyms: serious, keen, grave, intense More Synonyms of earnest
earnestnessuncountable noun
He was admired by many for his earnestness.
Synonyms: seriousness, resolution, passion, enthusiasm More Synonyms of earnest
Synonyms: determination, resolve, urgency, zeal More Synonyms of earnest
3.
See in earnest
More Synonyms of earnest
earnest in British English1
(ˈɜːnɪst)
adjective
1.
serious in mind or intention
an earnest student
2.
showing or characterized by sincerity of intention
an earnest promise
3.
demanding or receiving serious attention
noun
4.
seriousness
5. in earnest
Derived forms
earnestly (ˈearnestly)
adverb
earnestness (ˈearnestness)
noun
Word origin
Old English eornost; related to Old High German ernust seriousness, Old Norse ern energetic, efficient, Gothic arniba secure
earnest in British English2
(ˈɜːnɪst)
noun
1.
a part or portion of something given in advance as a guarantee of the remainder
2. Also called: earnest money contract law
something given, usually a nominal sum of money, to confirm a contract
3.
any token of something to follow; pledge; assurance
Word origin
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
earnest in American English1
(ˈɜrnɪst)
adjective
1.
serious and intense; not joking or playful; zealous and sincere
2.
not petty or trivial; important
SIMILAR WORDS: ˈserious
Idioms:
in earnest
Derived forms
earnestly (ˈearnestly)
adverb
earnestness (ˈearnestness)
noun
Word origin
ME ernest < OE eornoste < eornost, earnestness, zeal, akin to Ger ernst, seriousness (OHG ernust) < IE base *er-, to set oneself in motion, arouse > run
earnest in American English2
(ˈɜrnɪst)
noun
1.
money given as a part payment and pledge in binding a bargain
: in full earnest money
2.
something given or done as an indication or assurance of what is to come; token
SIMILAR WORDS: pledge
Word origin
altered (after earnest1) < ME ernes < OFr erres < L arrae, pl. of arra, arrabo, earnest money < Gr arrabōn < Heb eravon < arav, to guarantee, pledge
Examples of 'earnest' in a sentence
earnest
You will hear terrible sounds emitted from earnest mouths.
Times, Sunday Times (2008)
It was like being in a flotation tank with lots of earnest people wearing yellow.
Times, Sunday Times (2007)
Whether it was meant in jest or in deadly earnest.
Iain Gale Man of Honour (2007)
Efforts to lift the mood of despair on the factory floors began in earnest yesterday.
Times, Sunday Times (2010)
There is the brutal confrontation with the earnest science student.
Times, Sunday Times (2007)
The action gets under way in earnest today with a triple bill of matches.
Times, Sunday Times (2014)
But this pressure can only be effective if the people are in earnest.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
Part of the pleasure of reading this book lies in the exhilaration of watching earnest minds hard at work.
Times, Sunday Times (2014)
And that did sound very earnest!
Times, Sunday Times (2011)
Now he is in deadly earnest.
Times, Sunday Times (2011)
On one hand, you could take this overly earnest patriotic drama extremely seriously.
Times, Sunday Times (2009)
Somehow, she manages to sound earnest without being cloying.
Times, Sunday Times (2012)
Many City lawyers took last week off and work resumed in earnest only yesterday.
Times, Sunday Times (2008)
The choice of wine showed an acute awareness of the country's two most pressing problems and an earnest desire to fix them.
Times, Sunday Times (2014)
Earnest and sincere, yes, but to a fault.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
Witter: You do seem a tad serious and earnest.
Times, Sunday Times (2010)
It is more than ten years since ministers turned their attention in earnest to the country's 388 furthereducation colleges.
Times, Sunday Times (2006)
If you're going to produce an earnest radio drama, he is the last person you need in the recording studio.
Times, Sunday Times (2013)
ONCE upon a time there were solitary folk singers, earnest people with little more than a humble acoustic guitar and perhaps a harmonica for company.
The Sun (2006)
One of my favourites was an earnest mature student from Nigeria with whom I spent a year studying computer systems design.
Times, Sunday Times (2015)
In other languages
earnest
British English: earnest ADJECTIVE
Earnest people are very serious and sincere in what they say or do, because they think that their actions and beliefs are important.
She was a pious, earnest woman.
American English: earnest
Brazilian Portuguese: sério
Chinese: 真挚的
European Spanish: serio
French: sérieux
German: ernsthaft
Italian: serio
Japanese: まじめな
Korean: 진지한
European Portuguese: sério
Latin American Spanish: serio
Chinese translation of 'earnest'
earnest
(ˈəːnɪst)
adj
[person, manner]认(認)真的 (rènzhēn de)
[wish, effort]诚(誠)挚的 (chéngzhì de)
to do sth in earnest认(認)真地做某事 (rènzhēn de zuò mǒushì)
to be in earnest (frm) 认(認)真地 (rènzhēn de)
1 (adjective)
Definition
serious and sincere, often excessively so
Rupert was an earnest young man.
Synonyms
serious
He's quite a serious person.
keen
a keen amateur photographer
grave
He says the situation in his country is very grave.
intense
Her reaction to the news was more intense than I had imagined.
steady
dedicated
eager
He looked at the crowd of eager faces around him.
enthusiastic
The band drew a huge and enthusiastic crowd.
passionate
He made a passionate speech about his commitment to peace.
sincere
He accepted her apologies as sincere.
thoughtful
solemn
His solemn little face broke into smiles.
ardent
an ardent opponent of the war
fervent
a fervent admirer of her work
impassioned
He made an impassioned appeal for peace.
zealous
staid
a staid country doctor
keen as mustard
Opposites
trifling
,
frivolous
,
flippant
,
insincere
2 (adjective)
Definition
serious and sincere, often excessively so
Despite their earnest efforts, they failed to win support.
Synonyms
determined
He is making a determined effort to regain lost ground.
firm
dogged
through sheer dogged determination
constant
urgent
His mother leaned forward and spoke to him in urgent undertones.
intent
She looked from one intent face to another.
persistent
He phoned again this morning – he's very persistent.
ardent
persevering
resolute
a decisive and resolute international leader
heartfelt
My heartfelt sympathy goes out to all the relatives.
zealous
She was a zealous worker for charitable bodies.
vehement
There has been widespread and vehement condemnation of the attack.
wholehearted
He deserves our wholehearted support in this matter.
Opposites
indifferent
,
unconcerned
,
uninterested
,
couldn't-care-less
,
apathetic
,
unenthusiastic
,
half-hearted
phrase
See in earnest
(noun)
Definition
a part payment given in advance as a guarantee of the remainder, esp. to confirm a contract
(old-fashioned)
He gave us the money as an earnest of his good faith.
Synonyms
down payment
security
The banks will pledge the land as security.
promise
If you make a promise, you should keep it.
guarantee
He had to give a personal guarantee on the loan to his company.
deposit
A deposit of £20 is required when ordering.
pledge
items held in pledge for loans
token
He sent her a gift as a token of his appreciation.
assurance
an assurance that other forces will not move into the territory
earnest money (law)
surety
a surety of £2,500
foretaste
Additional synonyms
in the sense of ardent
Definition
intensely enthusiastic
an ardent opponent of the war
Synonyms
enthusiastic,
keen,
eager,
avid,
zealous,
keen as mustard
in the sense of assurance
Definition
a statement or assertion intended to inspire confidence
an assurance that other forces will not move into the territory