Synonyms of earnestness

earnestness

noun

as in intentness

a mental state free of jesting or trifling

practiced the art of acting with great earnestness

Synonyms & Similar Words

• intentness
• earnest
• gravity
• seriousness
• solemnity
• decisiveness
• solemnness
• soberness
• attentiveness
• purposefulness
• graveness
• intensity
• staidness
• sobriety
• deliberation
• resoluteness
• serious-mindedness
• determination
• gravitas
• concentration
• humorlessness
• resolve
• immersion
• firmness
• absorption
• engrossment
• enthrallment

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• levity
• flippancy
• lightness
• frivolity
• lightheartedness
• facetiousness
• frivolousness
• play
• flightiness
• lightness
• superficiality
• shallowness
• unseriousness
• cheerfulness
• dilettantism
• mirth
• glee
• dalliance
• gaiety
• merriment
• high-spiritedness

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of earnestness

Karen is newly sober, newly released, and seemingly determined to approach this chapter of her life with an earnestness that the rest of the cast may not be emotionally equipped to accommodate. — Shamira Ibrahim, Vulture, 12 Oct. 2026

Elizabeth Strout illustrates a kind man with an endearing earnestness about him who struggles with the fact that the world is not so simple anymore. — Kat Chen, Condé Nast Traveler, 23 Sep. 2026

The diaries—particularly in Julian Sachs’s unexpurgated version, which captures Pavese’s alternating earnestness, archness, and pungent vulgarity—pose something of a problem. — Max Norman, Harpers Magazine, 22 Sep. 2026

She is considered the Canadian equivalent to the Down Under disco queen Kylie Minogue by some, and recalls a young Taylor Swift for her unabashed earnestness. — Jaeden Pinder, Rolling Stone, 14 Sep. 2026

But the razzle-dazzle pairs oddly with his earnestness, as do the video projections with antique furnishings. — Rachel Syme, New Yorker, 11 Sep. 2026

And the following books represent a rich range of literary earnestness. — Literary Hub, 10 Sep. 2026

There’s not enough action for genre fans and the narrative’s blend of melodrama and earnestness may turn off highbrow arthouse viewers. — Alissa Simon, Variety, 7 Sep. 2026

Caesar performed with an earnestness that served as the foundation for an intimately personal relationship with fans — one that indeed transcended words. — Sydney Gaw, Oc Register, 26 Aug. 2026