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 earnestness and sincerity that characterized so much music from the late ’90s were overtaken by the sneering rage of nu metal.
—
Sophie Gilbert, The Atlantic, 30 Sep. 2025
When there is a buck to be made, a rapidly emerging necessity can be met with ardent earnestness.
—Lance Eliot, Forbes.com, 18 Sep. 2025
The earnestness with which chef-couple Sarah Cooper and Alan Hsu approach their vision makes Sun Moon Studio feel like a collaborative culinary experiment, a team project you’ve been invited to join in on.
—The Bon Appétit Staff, Bon Appetit Magazine, 12 Sep. 2025
The conceit is inherently crowdpleasing — a man stumbling into strangers’ lives and finding unexpected connection — but Hikari steers it with earnestness, elevating it beyond sentimental comedy.
—Clayton Davis, Variety, 7 Sep. 2025
His earnestness and enthusiasm were endearing.
—IEEE Spectrum, 1 Sep. 2025
The earnestness with which they are spoken is not redemptive.
—Hussein Agha, New Yorker, 22 Aug. 2025
Sophie Gilbert, The Atlantic, 30 Sep. 2025
When there is a buck to be made, a rapidly emerging necessity can be met with ardent earnestness.
—Lance Eliot, Forbes.com, 18 Sep. 2025
The earnestness with which chef-couple Sarah Cooper and Alan Hsu approach their vision makes Sun Moon Studio feel like a collaborative culinary experiment, a team project you’ve been invited to join in on.
—The Bon Appétit Staff, Bon Appetit Magazine, 12 Sep. 2025
The conceit is inherently crowdpleasing — a man stumbling into strangers’ lives and finding unexpected connection — but Hikari steers it with earnestness, elevating it beyond sentimental comedy.
—Clayton Davis, Variety, 7 Sep. 2025
His earnestness and enthusiasm were endearing.
—IEEE Spectrum, 1 Sep. 2025
The earnestness with which they are spoken is not redemptive.
—Hussein Agha, New Yorker, 22 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for earnestness
Noun
-
Glacier National Park, Montana Winter comes early to Glacier National Park, but the hardwoods that are peppered throughout the park’s evergreen forests put on one last show in September and October before the snow begins to fall in earnest.—
Graham Averill,
Outside,
26 Sep. 2025
-
The crackdown may only be starting in earnest.—
Juanita Goebertus,
MSNBC Newsweek,
26 Aug. 2025
Noun
-
Its economy today is one that defies gravity.—
Peter Vanham,
Fortune,
2 Oct. 2025
-
Would it be aligned with the gas, pointing away from the existence of dark matter and towards evidence for a modified law of gravity?—
Ethan Siegel,
Big Think,
1 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
Saturn’s shift back into your sign back on the 1st will have added a layer of seriousness to this whole process, urging you to take responsibility for your path and your patterns.—
Meghan Rose,
Glamour,
1 Oct. 2025
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This is a testament to the passion and seriousness with which so many professors approach their work as teachers (and, also, to the genuine curiosity and ambition of their students).—
Joshua Rothman,
New Yorker,
30 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Earnestness.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/earnestness. Accessed 6 Oct. 2025.
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