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
The violent earnestness is like a speaker-phone therapy session on a crowded subway.
—
Samuel Hyland, Pitchfork, 17 Mar. 2026
That thread of earnestness in the plot and character development definitely makes its way into the finale.
—Abbey White, HollywoodReporter, 17 Mar. 2026
Advertisement Reggie Dinkins shares an earnestness with Every Brilliant Thing.
—Eliana Dockterman, Time, 5 Mar. 2026
Frank, played with endearing earnestness by Bale, is more of a big softie than a monster.
—ABC News, 4 Mar. 2026
The Scream series emerged during the age of the New Irony, survived the ensuing New Sincerity, and made it through several other civilizational cycles of earnestness and self-awareness before landing here in today’s era of Nothing Matters and Everything Sucks.
—Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 27 Feb. 2026
The fashion for bushy beards, and beards’ association with authentic manliness, has followed this same trajectory from irony to earnestness during its various resurgences since the early 19th century.
—Daniel Engber, The Atlantic, 20 Feb. 2026
But there’s something about his demeanor, his earnestness, his character that has won over teammates and coaching staffs throughout the Tampa Bay system.
—John Romano, The Orlando Sentinel, 19 Feb. 2026
The earnestness transferred into the character and lifted it.
—Los Angeles Times, 18 Feb. 2026
Samuel Hyland, Pitchfork, 17 Mar. 2026
That thread of earnestness in the plot and character development definitely makes its way into the finale.
—Abbey White, HollywoodReporter, 17 Mar. 2026
Advertisement Reggie Dinkins shares an earnestness with Every Brilliant Thing.
—Eliana Dockterman, Time, 5 Mar. 2026
Frank, played with endearing earnestness by Bale, is more of a big softie than a monster.
—ABC News, 4 Mar. 2026
The Scream series emerged during the age of the New Irony, survived the ensuing New Sincerity, and made it through several other civilizational cycles of earnestness and self-awareness before landing here in today’s era of Nothing Matters and Everything Sucks.
—Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 27 Feb. 2026
The fashion for bushy beards, and beards’ association with authentic manliness, has followed this same trajectory from irony to earnestness during its various resurgences since the early 19th century.
—Daniel Engber, The Atlantic, 20 Feb. 2026
But there’s something about his demeanor, his earnestness, his character that has won over teammates and coaching staffs throughout the Tampa Bay system.
—John Romano, The Orlando Sentinel, 19 Feb. 2026
The earnestness transferred into the character and lifted it.
—Los Angeles Times, 18 Feb. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for earnestness
Noun
-
March is traditionally the start of planning the spring planting season in the US, which starts in earnest in April.—
Molly Taft,
Wired News,
4 Mar. 2026
-
The episode starts in earnest when Myki learns about how the other queens voted.—
Jason P. Frank,
Vulture,
14 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
The probe was delayed from 2022, and headed for the asteroid Psyche, using a Mars-gravity assist and not arriving until August 2029.—
Richard Tribou,
The Orlando Sentinel,
17 Mar. 2026
-
The kit includes a 3-liter bag that hangs upside down and uses gravity to filter water through a hose.—
Amelia Arvesen,
Outside,
16 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
Her legacy indeed lives on in Definitely Thriving, a book which dares to treat the small canvas of an ordinary woman’s experience with seriousness and respect, all the while maintaining that necessary sense of humor which makes the whole thing—life itself—mostly bearable.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
16 Mar. 2026
-
From the beginning, Madeleine approached her training with seriousness and respect for the craft.—
Heide Janssen,
Oc Register,
15 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Earnestness.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/earnestness. Accessed 21 Mar. 2026.
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