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
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of earnest
Ryan Fleming, Deadline, 18 June 2025
This cessation would have come immediately after these raids were getting started in earnest.
—The Editors, National Review, 17 June 2025
Jason P. Frank, Vulture, 28 Feb. 2025
The work on finding the right pieces starts in earnest in Indianapolis.
—Troy Renck, The Denver Post, 21 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for earnest
Adjective
Kroll says one of the most important things was to make sure that every story was handled in a mindful and earnest way, while still approaching the situation in a comedic sense.
—Ryan Fleming, Deadline, 18 June 2025
This cessation would have come immediately after these raids were getting started in earnest.
—The Editors, National Review, 17 June 2025
Noun
After a brief moment mourning Acacia, the episode this week starts in earnest with the reading challenge.
—Jason P. Frank, Vulture, 28 Feb. 2025
The work on finding the right pieces starts in earnest in Indianapolis.
—Troy Renck, The Denver Post, 21 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for earnest
Recent Examples of Synonyms for earnest
Adjective
-
In the procedural drama, Rodríguez brings to life a multi-layered and solemn character shaped by a traumatic childhood — abused within the foster care system, with no knowledge of his origins, and struggling with severe dyslexia.—
Veronica Villafañe,
Forbes.com,
20 June 2025
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This protection -- known as the seal of confession -- is among the oldest and most solemn obligations in the Catholic Church, grounded in the Church’s teaching that, in the sacrament, penitents are confidentially confessing to and receiving forgiveness from God.—
Hiram Sasser,
National Review,
15 June 2025
Adjective
-
Some 182 people with serious mental illness in the city jails are waiting for one of those beds, city correction officials said Thursday.—
Graham Rayman,
New York Daily News,
29 June 2025
-
So far, the project has helped some counties reduce their administrative separation populations by up to 90% through limiting isolation to cases of recent violence and banning the use of restrictive housing for people with serious mental illness.—
Kelly Davis,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
29 June 2025
Adjective
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Born in Philadelphia in October 1888, Breen shuttled between jobs in public relations, newspaper journalism, and the U.S. consular service, yet the connecting thread was always his deep, proud, stern Irish Catholicism.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
24 June 2025
-
However, strikes between the two nations appeared to continue—leading to a stern rebuke from the president on Tuesday morning.—
Jason Lemon,
MSNBC Newsweek,
24 June 2025
Noun
-
At Psyche, the spacecraft will enter orbit and progressively move closer to the asteroid, using a suite of sensors to map its surface, measure its shape, mass, and gravity field, and determine its elemental composition.—
ArsTechnica,
ArsTechnica,
21 June 2025
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Using an orbital gravity assist from the planet Venus, the Solar Orbiter mission spacecraft was able to maneuver into an orbit that has taken it to an angle 17 degrees below the Sun’s equator.—
Bruce Dorminey,
Forbes.com,
21 June 2025
Cite this Entry
“Earnest.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/earnest. Accessed 4 Jul. 2025.
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