earnest

adjective ear·nest \ ˈər-nəst \

Updated on: 15 Nov 2017

Definition of earnest

1 : characterized by or proceeding from an intense and serious state of mind

2 : grave, important

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earnestly

adverb

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earnestness

play \ˈər-nəs(t)-nəs\ noun

See earnest defined for English-language learners

Examples of earnest in a Sentence

Barnum's antics provoked tongue-in-cheek reporting and nods and winks in the newspapers, but no earnest cries of humbug. The artful deceiver turned fraud into family fun. —Jackson Lears, New Republic, 12 Nov. 2001
Students of all ages were forced to watch these earnest but bizarre short films, which apprised them of such things as the folly of playing on steep precipices overlooking the ocean, the need to minimize one's square-dancing during the early days of the menstrual cycle, the inadvisability of shooting heroin before an important track meet and the necessity of placing the fork to the left of the plate. —Joe Queenan, New York Times, 20 Jan. 2000
… a Prussian émigré who became a middle-class English gentleman; an angry agitator who spent much of his adult life in the scholarly silence of the British Museum Reading Room; a gregarious and convivial host who fell out with almost all his friends; a devoted family man who impregnated his housemaid; and a deeply earnest philosopher who loved drink, cigars and jokes. —Francis Wheen, The Nation, 10 July 2000
… a bland expression on my face, looking more innocent than an innocent person has any business looking, I imagined that the sales-women who sometimes glanced over at me saw an earnest young shopper instead of a transparent little klepto. —Tobias Wolff, Forbes, 20 Mar. 1989
an earnest plea for help
I'll accept only an earnest apology from you.

Recent Examples of earnest from the Web

When the race began in earnest again on lap 17, Hamilton burst straight past Ricciardo into third while Vettel brilliantly defended the corner twice to fend off Bottas.

— associated press, latimes.com, "Sebastian Vettel wins Bahrain Grand Prix to take Formula One series lead," 16 Apr. 2017
And Wura O. is surprisingly earnest: Africa is a place full of beauty, exuberance, and culture.

— sebastian modak, Condé Nast Traveler, "Google Maps Reviews of Entire Continents Are Bizarre and Hilarious," 7 Apr. 2017
With a new administration in office and so much at stake, now is a good time to approach that task in earnest.

— liz spayd, New York Times, "The Risk of Unnamed Sources? Unconvinced Readers," 18 Feb. 2017
Yet in an era of fake news, overheated partisanship and general rancor, Mr. Mazza seems unfailingly earnest and without an agenda — aside from trying to become a reporter, with his own notion of what that means.

— marc santora, New York Times, "A Young Reporter Makes a Soft Query and Pleases an Upset President," 17 Feb. 2017
This championship marked the culmination of a slow rebuilding process, which started in earnest when the Cubs hired Theo Epstein as president of baseball operations before the 2012 season.

— jared diamond, WSJ, "Chicago Cubs Win the World Series, Ending 108-Year Drought," 3 Nov. 2016
Few music figures have made a more earnest attempt to break into fashion than Yeezus, and these sorts of collections follow in those Westian footsteps.

— pete forester, Esquire, "How Far Can the Justin Bieber Merch Machine Go?," 22 Aug. 2016
The campaign kicked off in earnest Thursday night on a conference call with at least 30 delegates from 15 states, according to multiple participants.

— ed o'keefe, Washington Post, "Dozens of GOP delegates launch new push to halt Donald Trump," 17 June 2016
A team spokesman declined to be quoted, but expressed earnest affection for the Hall of Science; the Mets have a representative on the hall’s board.

— jim dwyer, New York Times, "Nerds and Rockers to Face Off in a Queens Parking Lot," 19 May 2016

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'earnest.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of earnest

see ²earnest

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: before 12th century

See Words from the same year

earnest Synonyms

Synonyms

serious, grave, humorless, no-nonsense, po-faced [British], sedate, severe, sober, sobersided, solemn, staid, uncomic, unsmiling, weighty

Antonyms

facetious, flip, flippant, humorous, jesting, jocular, joking, kittenish, ludic, playful

Related Words

harsh, stern, strict; businesslike, professional; dignified, distinguished, elevated, serious-minded; gloomy, grim

Near Antonyms

antic, comic, comical, droll, farcical, funny, hilarious, hysterical (also hysteric), laughable, light, light-headed, ludicrous, ridiculous, riotous, risible, screaming, sidesplitting, uproarious; featherbrained, flighty, frivolous, goofy, harebrained, lighthearted, puerile, scatterbrained; absurd, asinine, balmy, brainless, cockeyed, crazy, cuckoo, daffy, daft, dotty, fatuous, foolish, half-witted, insane, jerky, kooky (also kookie), loony (also looney), lunatic, mad, nonsensical, nutty, preposterous, sappy, screwball, senseless, silly, unwise, wacky (also whacky), weak-minded, witless, zany

Synonym Discussion of earnest

serious, grave, solemn, sedate, staid, sober, earnest mean not light or frivolous. serious implies a concern for what really matters.

- a serious play about social injustice

grave implies both seriousness and dignity in expression or attitude.

- read the proclamation in a grave voice

solemn suggests an impressive gravity utterly free from levity.

- a sad and solemn occasion

sedate implies a composed and decorous seriousness.

- remained sedate amid the commotion

staid suggests a settled, accustomed sedateness and prim self-restraint.

- a quiet and staid community

sober stresses seriousness of purpose and absence of levity or frivolity.

- a sober look at the state of our schools

earnest suggests sincerity or often zealousness of purpose.

- an earnest reformer

earnest

noun

Definition of earnest

1 : a serious and intent mental state

a proposal made in earnest

2 : a considerable or impressive degree or amount

the sap started running in earnest

Examples of earnest in a Sentence

On Easter Monday the rain began in earnest. —Katherine Paterson, Bridge to Terabithia, (1977) 2003
The sidewalks were crowded as women and men argued and bargained with each other as the shopping day began in earnest. —Harold Robbins, The Storyteller, 1985
Books are an addiction, that, when aroused in earnest, is rarely calmed. —Joseph Epstein, The Middle of My Tether, 1983
The divorce proceedings began in earnest, and they were earnestly vile. —Angie Bowie et al., US, 23 Nov. 1982

Recent Examples of earnest from the Web

The most immediate question is whether the British can map out in advance their negotiating partners’ positions before the talks start in earnest.

— stephen fidler, WSJ, "Theresa May Gives Up a Bargaining Chip on Brexit Talks," 6 Oct. 2016
Then, the defending of the lead continued in earnest.

— andrew das, New York Times, "Soccer | United States 1, Paraguay 0 | Copa America, Group A," 11 June 2016
But Sanders appeared to be offering in earnest, prompted in part by the Clinton campaign’s decision, announced Monday, not to follow through on an earlier pledge to debate him in California.

— john cassidy, The New Yorker, "What Game Is Bernie Sanders Playing with Donald Trump?," 27 May 2016
The battle for control of the living room just began in earnest.

— david streitfeld, New York Times, "Google Home vs. Amazon Echo. Let the Battle Begin. MAY 18, 2016," 18 May 2016
The term post-racial is almost never used in earnest.

— ta-nehisi coates, The Atlantic, "There Is No Post-Racial America," 26 June 2015
A guest brings up a television show in which each episode features a different sect of Americans, preparing in earnest for a different kind of doomsday.

— eric boman, Vogue, "Can You Serve Canned Food at a Dinner Party? (Yes, You Can!)," 29 Apr. 2015
Will Ferrell has been making the publicity rounds in earnest since his new comedy Get Hard premiered at SXSW earlier this month.

— ryan bort, Esquire, "Will Ferrell Is Happy to Come On Your Show, But Don't Ask Him About the Cockatoo on His Shoulder," 27 Mar. 2015
Ersatz, every word, and yet all meant in good earnest.

— emma donoghue, The Atlantic, "Onward," 19 Feb. 2014

Origin and Etymology of earnest

Middle English ernest, from Old English eornost; akin to Old High German ernust earnest

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: before 12th century

See Words from the same year

earnest

noun

Definition of earnest

1 : something of value given by a buyer to a seller to bind a bargain

2 : a token of what is to come : pledge

Examples of earnest in a Sentence

… the cruiser Aurora, manned by Bolsheviks and anchored in the Neva, announced that it would open fire on the Winter Palace, and fired a few blank charges as an earnest of its resolve. —Martin Gilbert, The First World War, (1994) 1995
In 1942, Roosevelt, Stimson, and Marshall all recognized the degree of fraud in MacArthur but let him get away with his act because in those black days morale required an invincible hero in the Pacific as an earnest of eventual victory there. —Paul Fussell, Wartime, 1989
When I had promised to pay for his information and given him an earnest, he told me that he had made two journeys between Carfax and a house in Piccadilly, and had taken from this house to the latter nine great boxes, "main heavy ones," with a horse and cart hired by him for this purpose. —Bram Stoker, Dracula, 1897

Origin and Etymology of earnest

Middle English ernes, ernest, from Anglo-French arres, erres, plural of erre earnest, from Latin arra, short for arrabo, from Greek arrhabōn, of Semitic origin; akin to Hebrew ʽērābhōn pledge

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 13th century

See Words from the same year

Other Business Terms

amortize, caveat emptor, clearinghouse, divest, due diligence, emolument, green-collar, marque, overhead, perquisite

EARNEST Defined for English Language Learners

earnest

adjective

Definition of earnest for English Language Learners

: serious and sincere : not lighthearted or playful

EARNEST Defined for Kids

earnest

adjective ear·nest \ ˈər-nəst \

Definition of earnest for Students

: not light or playful We received an earnest request for help.

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earnestly

adverb

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earnestness

noun

Law Dictionary

earnest

noun ear·nest \ ˈər-nəst \

legal Definition of earnest

: something of value given by a buyer to a seller to bind a bargain

Origin and Etymology of earnest

Anglo-French ernes(t), erles, alteration of Old French erres, plural of erre pledge, earnest, alteration of Latin arra, short for arrabo, from Greek arrhabōn, of Semitic origin