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

That the earnestness the genre requires galls us cynics, who love to hide in our books, away from all those pesky bodies in the first place? — Brittany Allen, Literary Hub, 13 Aug. 2026

There are hints of Gilmore Girls in the show’s quaint setting and generational role reversal, traces of Dawson’s Creek in its adolescent earnestness. — Judy Berman, Time, 4 Aug. 2026

After casting was complete, the single most important goal for the creative team was not letting the parody aspect of the work take away any of the earnestness from their performances. — Ct Jones, Rolling Stone, 4 Aug. 2026

And by this point, the cultural tide had also turned against his earnestness. — Tope Folarin, The Atlantic, 22 July 2026

That earnestness doesn’t quite vanish in Heartstopper Forever. — Abbey White, HollywoodReporter, 18 July 2026

There was an earnestness to it that’s very rare in literary fiction. — Adam Messinger, Los Angeles Times, 16 July 2026

The Stranger Things star’s performance expertly balances cringeworthy earnestness with calculating sociopathy, making Kurt’s desperate quest for attention all the more believable. — Brianna Zigler, Entertainment Weekly, 15 July 2026

The earnestness of this story just doesn’t work as well when everything is done in such blatantly artificial ways and for obvious pursuit of profit. — Gregory Nussen, Deadline, 8 July 2026