earnestly

adverb

ear·​nest·​ly ˈər-nəst-lē How to pronounce earnestly (audio)
: in an earnest and serious manner : not lightly, casually, or flippantly
speaking earnestly
asking earnestly for forgiveness
providing the relief that they had earnestly hoped for
She spoke so earnestly, with such emotion in her voice, that Omakayas was always to remember that moment …Louise Erdrich
They sing contemporary R&B earnestly, like they borrowed it and want to return it in better condition than when they got it.Danyel Smith

Examples of earnestly in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web This also does a disservice to those who are earnestly trying to learn more about birds. USA TODAY, 22 Jan. 2024 Parties must articulate expectations, concerns, and priorities openly and earnestly while listening attentively to their counterpart. Roman Gurskiy, Forbes, 21 Feb. 2024 Social media used to be touted as a way for politicians to develop real connections with voters, but that’s only ever been true for a small handful of politicians who have earnestly embraced platforms and not relied on teams to do it for them. Charlie Warzel, The Atlantic, 14 Feb. 2024 Marina’s approach to social equity and climate action is also earnestly progressive. Virginia Heffernan, WIRED, 14 Feb. 2024 But all of them want the City Council to earnestly listen to community concerns and make changes, even when the concerns paint an unpleasant portrait of Phoenix police. Taylor Seely, The Arizona Republic, 31 Jan. 2024 There was something reassuring, and almost touching, about seeing him there, in a tux, earnestly trying to charm a room full of strangers. Anna Russell, The New Yorker, 12 Feb. 2024 Mothersbaugh, Casale, and the rest of their original six-person lineup didn’t earnestly strum acoustic guitars. David Fear, Rolling Stone, 22 Jan. 2024 With a team centered around a 39-year-old star, patience is a virtue that can’t be earnestly considered, not if the Lakers are hellbent on trying to squeeze the last drops of title contention out of the NBA’s all-time leading scorer. Dan Woike, Los Angeles Times, 5 Jan. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'earnestly.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of earnestly was before the 12th century

Dictionary Entries Near earnestly

Cite this Entry

“Earnestly.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/earnestly. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

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