Synonyms
earnestness - 3 dictionary results
ear⋅nest
1
[ur-nist] 
–adjective
| 1. | serious in intention, purpose, or effort; sincerely zealous: an earnest worker. |
| 2. | showing depth and sincerity of feeling: earnest words; an earnest entreaty. |
| 3. | seriously important; demanding or receiving serious attention. |
–noun
| 4. | full seriousness, as of intention or purpose: to speak in earnest. |
Origin:
bef. 1000; ME erneste, OE eornoste (adj.); ME ernest, OE eornost (n.); c. D, G ernest
bef. 1000; ME erneste, OE eornoste (adj.); ME ernest, OE eornost (n.); c. D, G ernest
Related forms:
ear⋅nest⋅ly, adverb
ear⋅nest⋅ness, noun
Synonyms:
1. fervent, intent, purposeful, determined, industrious, ambitious. Earnest, resolute, serious, sincere imply having qualities of depth and firmness. Earnest implies having a purpose and being steadily and soberly eager in pursuing it: an earnest student. Resolute adds a quality of determination: resolute in defending the right. Serious implies having depth and a soberness of attitude that contrasts with gaiety and frivolity; it may include the qualities of both earnestness and resolution: serious and thoughtful. Sincere suggests genuineness, trustworthiness, and absence of superficiality: a sincere interest in music.
1. fervent, intent, purposeful, determined, industrious, ambitious. Earnest, resolute, serious, sincere imply having qualities of depth and firmness. Earnest implies having a purpose and being steadily and soberly eager in pursuing it: an earnest student. Resolute adds a quality of determination: resolute in defending the right. Serious implies having depth and a soberness of attitude that contrasts with gaiety and frivolity; it may include the qualities of both earnestness and resolution: serious and thoughtful. Sincere suggests genuineness, trustworthiness, and absence of superficiality: a sincere interest in music.
Antonyms:
1. frivolous.
1. frivolous.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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|
Link To earnestness
| ear·nest 1 (ûr'nĭst) adj.
[Middle English ernest, from Old English eornoste; see er-1 in Indo-European roots.] ear'nest·ly adv., ear'nest·ness n. |
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Earnestness
Ear"nest*ness\, n. The state or quality of being earnest; intentness; anxiety. An honest earnestness in the young man's manner. --W. Irving.
Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary, © 1996, 1998 MICRA, Inc.
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