as in intentness
a mental state free of jesting or trifling
practiced the art of acting with great earnestness
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of earnestness
The current leading lights in rock are largely admired for their raw earnestness.
—
Armin Rosen, The Washington Examiner, 9 Jan. 2026
Part of what comes to me, Roxana, is my sincerity and my earnestness.
—Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 1 Jan. 2026
Cappa’s humor and the framing of his show don’t have the same narrative earnestness, but his characters do.
—James Folta, Literary Hub, 18 Dec. 2025
There’s a Leave It to Beaver earnestness about the stuff.
—Betsy Cribb Watson, Southern Living, 17 Nov. 2025
Listen to him bum-rush a workers’ union meeting and begin describing, with over-enthusiastic earnestness, how dogs get a raw deal.
—David Fear, Rolling Stone, 17 Oct. 2025
Though the score is anthem-heavy and earnestness is always hovering, there are moments in the show that are transcendent.
—Frank Rizzo, Variety, 17 Oct. 2025
Advertisement The Chair Company’s hero is the other side of that coin, a disempowered man whose earnestness brings him only embarrassment and whose attempts to find someone to blame for his misery only dig him deeper into it.
—Judy Berman, Time, 9 Oct. 2025
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
Armin Rosen, The Washington Examiner, 9 Jan. 2026
Part of what comes to me, Roxana, is my sincerity and my earnestness.
—Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 1 Jan. 2026
Cappa’s humor and the framing of his show don’t have the same narrative earnestness, but his characters do.
—James Folta, Literary Hub, 18 Dec. 2025
There’s a Leave It to Beaver earnestness about the stuff.
—Betsy Cribb Watson, Southern Living, 17 Nov. 2025
Listen to him bum-rush a workers’ union meeting and begin describing, with over-enthusiastic earnestness, how dogs get a raw deal.
—David Fear, Rolling Stone, 17 Oct. 2025
Though the score is anthem-heavy and earnestness is always hovering, there are moments in the show that are transcendent.
—Frank Rizzo, Variety, 17 Oct. 2025
Advertisement The Chair Company’s hero is the other side of that coin, a disempowered man whose earnestness brings him only embarrassment and whose attempts to find someone to blame for his misery only dig him deeper into it.
—Judy Berman, Time, 9 Oct. 2025
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
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
-
The system places users in a zero-gravity posture originally developed for aerospace applications.—
Aamir Khollam,
Interesting Engineering,
9 Jan. 2026
-
Cruz and other Republicans argued the decision minimized the gravity of an attack on the judiciary and could encourage future political violence.—
Kaelan Deese,
The Washington Examiner,
8 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
Rodriguez noted that the law at the center of the battle doesn’t permit her to consider the seriousness of the offense nor the impact on the victims.—
Teri Figueroa,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
7 Jan. 2026
-
Advertisement This is not a failure of seriousness so much as a shift in how seriousness is encountered.—
Debbie Millman,
Time,
7 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Earnestness.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/earnestness. Accessed 11 Jan. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share