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
-
The trial, which is expected to last two weeks, started in earnest on March 10 with opening statements, and three other accusers are poised to testify, the New York Times reported.—
Victoria Bekiempis,
Vulture,
18 Mar. 2026
-
The Men’s March Madness tournament starts in earnest on Tuesday, March 17.—
Sacbee.com,
Sacbee.com,
17 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
Conversely, how could all forms of energy, not just mass, affect how all other objects in the Universe experienced the effects of gravity?—
Big Think,
Big Think,
24 Mar. 2026
-
The stars aligned, because everyone knew where Bruce Springsteen stood and understood the gravity of the moment.—
Andy Greene,
Rolling Stone,
23 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
That’s a common enough strategy for newbies trying to signal seriousness in a crowded field.—
Alison Foreman,
IndieWire,
23 Mar. 2026
-
Authorities and Díaz-Canel himself have acknowledged the seriousness of the current energy situation.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
22 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Earnestness.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/earnestness. Accessed 25 Mar. 2026.
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