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earnest

/ˈɝ.nɪst/noun, adjective2 syllables

Earnest means: sincerely earnest.

Synonyms for earnest23

adjective, as in sincerely earnest

adjective, as in characterized by a firm and humorless belief in the validity of your opinions

adjective, as in not distracted by anything unrelated to the goal

businesslike, purposeful

also used for earnest

authentic, actual, bona fide, genuine, legit, legitimate, lubish, non-fake, pukka, intensive, centered, concentrated, focused, inspissated, telic

Includes material from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.

What does earnest mean?4

adjective

1

sincerely earnest“one's dearest wish”

2

characterized by a firm and humorless belief in the validity of your opinions“both sides were deeply in earnest, even passionate”

3

not distracted by anything unrelated to the goal

noun

1

something of value given by one person to another to bind a contract

Definitions from the Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.

Earnest in a sentence

  • The squirrel that you kill in jest, dies in earnest.don_ramon
  • Our success, after all, is due to his earnest efforts.sundown
  • Before the exam, he began to study in earnest.unknown
  • Sooner or later, we'll have to tackle the problem in earnest.unknown
  • Are you kidding and not speaking in earnest?shekitten
  • Carbon emissions trading has yet to take off in earnest.Nylez
  • Mingle your joys sometimes with your earnest occupation.unknown
  • You must set about your business in earnest.unknown

Sentences from Tatoeba, CC BY 2.0 FR, credited to their authors.

Forms of earnest

as a noun

plural
earnests

as a adjective

comparative
earnester
superlative
earnestest