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
-
Mexico’s 2-0 victory over South Africa on Thursday at Estadio Azteca in Mexico City was marked by three red cards, two goals and one massive tournament getting underway in earnest.—
Michael Rios,
CNN Money,
11 June 2026
-
Semiconductor stocks — Chip manufacturers slid as the tech sell-off resumed in earnest on Tuesday.—
Sarah Min,
CNBC,
9 June 2026
Noun
-
The company that’s accustomed to defying gravity is now defying market physics.—
David Goldman,
CNN Money,
16 June 2026
-
The fact that much of the region excluded by the team hasn't been explored experimentally lays the groundwork for making precise measurements of gravity to test quantum gravity.—
Robert Lea,
Space.com,
15 June 2026
Noun
-
But Torres said those facts did not outweigh the seriousness of the allegations.—
Sarah Rumpf-Whitten,
FOXNews.com,
15 June 2026
-
In Susan Sontag’s classic formulation, camp is failed seriousness, while the tragicomic is a seriousness of failure.—
Eugenie Brinkema,
ARTnews.com,
14 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Earnestness.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/earnestness. Accessed 18 Jun. 2026.
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