as in intentness
a mental state free of jesting or trifling
practiced the art of acting with great earnestness
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Recent Examples of earnestness
Western, for his part, had by this time recovered something of his usual bluster, and began again upon the subject of Blifil, commending his estate and his family with great earnestness, as though these considerations alone ought to have settled the matter long since.
—
Jay Caspian Kang, New Yorker, 2 June 2026
Even if the earnestness is genuine, Véliz worries that the use of religious terminology and imagery around AI—deliberately or not—can make honest conversation harder to have.
—Chris Stokel-Walker, Scientific American, 26 May 2026
The earnestness of the Islanders was meant to be offset by the humor of production.
—Anna Peele, Vulture, 20 May 2026
But earnestness is the enemy of hilarity.
—Theater Critic, Los Angeles Times, 20 May 2026
Some of the concurrent plots to the main narrative are too on the nose, and the film suffers from some earnestness, particularly where two young characters and a cute dog are involved.
—Murtada Elfadl, Variety, 19 May 2026
In 1987, such genuine earnestness in a song that was actually about something was novel and welcome to listeners like me, who felt alienated by Top 40 radio but were too sheltered to encounter, let alone embrace, hardcore or rap.
—Dan Kois, Pitchfork, 17 May 2026
Kapetan’s yearning, intimate voice is still front and center, mixing and modernizing elements of favorites of the aughts like Conor Oberst (his earnestness), Ben Kweller (his wit), and Sufjan Stevens (his beauty).
—Brendan Hay, SPIN, 27 Apr. 2026
Not too serious or sappy, but with room for both earnestness and whimsy.
—New York Times, 21 Apr. 2026
Jay Caspian Kang, New Yorker, 2 June 2026
Even if the earnestness is genuine, Véliz worries that the use of religious terminology and imagery around AI—deliberately or not—can make honest conversation harder to have.
—Chris Stokel-Walker, Scientific American, 26 May 2026
The earnestness of the Islanders was meant to be offset by the humor of production.
—Anna Peele, Vulture, 20 May 2026
But earnestness is the enemy of hilarity.
—Theater Critic, Los Angeles Times, 20 May 2026
Some of the concurrent plots to the main narrative are too on the nose, and the film suffers from some earnestness, particularly where two young characters and a cute dog are involved.
—Murtada Elfadl, Variety, 19 May 2026
In 1987, such genuine earnestness in a song that was actually about something was novel and welcome to listeners like me, who felt alienated by Top 40 radio but were too sheltered to encounter, let alone embrace, hardcore or rap.
—Dan Kois, Pitchfork, 17 May 2026
Kapetan’s yearning, intimate voice is still front and center, mixing and modernizing elements of favorites of the aughts like Conor Oberst (his earnestness), Ben Kweller (his wit), and Sufjan Stevens (his beauty).
—Brendan Hay, SPIN, 27 Apr. 2026
Not too serious or sappy, but with room for both earnestness and whimsy.
—New York Times, 21 Apr. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for earnestness
Noun
-
The Japanese investor, who was used to fielding similar inquiries from company leaders, was intrigued by an approach made directly by a head of state and started reviewing the matter in earnest.—
Benoit Berthelot,
Fortune,
30 May 2026
-
Curtis began acting in earnest in the 1980s.—
Emily Zemler,
Rolling Stone,
30 May 2026
Noun
-
Gravitational waves were first proposed in 1915 as part of Albert Einstein's theory of gravity, known as general relativity.—
Robert Lea,
Space.com,
1 June 2026
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But neither have the gravitas or gravity of Garrett, one of the few in the NFL who compare to former Ram Aaron Donald in terms of how much his presence will suck up the time of opposing offensive coordinators as they game plan.—
Adam Grosbard,
Oc Register,
1 June 2026
Noun
-
The work to preserve our government requires secrecy and seriousness.—
Josh Meyer,
USA Today,
31 May 2026
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How ‘Clean Slate’ laws work States have a legal process in which people can petition the courts to seal or expunge old arrests or convictions, depending on the seriousness of the offense and after a certain period of time.—
Eric Levenson,
CNN Money,
30 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Earnestness.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/earnestness. Accessed 8 Jun. 2026.
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