- very serious and sincere
- an earnest young man
- Despite her earnest efforts, she could not find a job.
- When I looked over, he was in earnest conversation with his father.
- She was nice enough, but perhaps a little too earnest.
Oxford Collocations DictionaryEarnest is used with these nouns:- desire
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Word OriginOld English eornoste (adjective), eornost (noun), of Germanic origin; related to German Ernst (noun).
Idioms
See earnest in the Oxford Advanced American Dictionaryin earnest
- more seriously and with more force or effort than before
- The work on the house will begin in earnest on Monday.
- That was when our troubles started in earnest.
- very serious and sincere about what you are saying and about your intentions; in a way that shows that you are serious
- You may laugh but I'm in deadly earnest.
- I could tell she spoke in earnest.
Check pronunciation:
earnest