as in solemn
not joking or playful in mood or manner
I'll accept only an earnest apology from you
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in intentness
a mental state free of jesting or trifling
I am in deadly earnest about this marriage proposal
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in earnest
a mental state free of jesting or trifling
practiced the art of acting with great earnestness
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of earnest
Brian Truitt, USA Today, 21 May 2025
Blissfully, the 2002 film Lilo & Stitch gets an adaptation that is vibrant, whimsical, and earnest (and also cute and fluffy!).
—EW.com, 20 May 2025
Bennett Durando, The Denver Post, 15 Feb. 2025
Replanting in this gentle valley hasn’t yet started in earnest.
—Christine Ro, Forbes, 12 Dec. 2024
See All Example Sentences for earnest
Adjective
Director Dean Fleischer Camp’s family adventure feels like an excessively earnest Disney Channel movie compared with the delightfully unhinged 2002 cartoon.
—Brian Truitt, USA Today, 21 May 2025
Blissfully, the 2002 film Lilo & Stitch gets an adaptation that is vibrant, whimsical, and earnest (and also cute and fluffy!).
—EW.com, 20 May 2025
Noun
His meteoric rise to the first round of the 2024 draft started in earnest at Tennessee with an NCAA Elite Eight run after his second transfer.
—Bennett Durando, The Denver Post, 15 Feb. 2025
Replanting in this gentle valley hasn’t yet started in earnest.
—Christine Ro, Forbes, 12 Dec. 2024
See All Example Sentences for earnest
Recent Examples of Synonyms for earnest
Adjective
-
President Donald Trump delivered a history-laden Memorial Day speech after laying a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, his remarks echoing against the solemn backdrop of Arlington National Cemetery, final resting place of more than 400,000 veterans and their family members.—
Davis Winkie,
USA Today,
27 May 2025
-
Easter can be a solemn event, but only the few days before.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
26 May 2025
Adjective
-
Nobody else can do what Isak does, but Newcastle lack serious backup at centre-forward.—
Chris Waugh,
New York Times,
6 June 2025
-
There were no serious injuries reported or arrests made among the crowd of about 500 teenagers.—
David Matthews,
New York Daily News,
6 June 2025
Adjective
-
The flybridge has a reverse radar arch that prompts a double take, while the remainder of the exterior focuses on open space (case in point, the foredeck), along with the beautiful design of the cockpit and stern area.—
Julia Zaltzman,
Robb Report,
28 May 2025
-
And, Boeing would have had to submit to a Justice Department—appointed compliance monitor, with the independence and power to impose stern safety reforms.—
Charles Tiefer,
Forbes.com,
26 May 2025
Cite this Entry
“Earnest.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/earnest. Accessed 15 Jun. 2025.
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