What does earnest mean?
Definitions for earnest
ˈɜr nɪstearnest
This dictionary definitions page includes all the possible meanings, example usage and translations of the word earnest.
Princeton's WordNet
earnestadjective
something of value given by one person to another to bind a contract
earnest, sincere, solemnadjective
characterized by a firm and humorless belief in the validity of your opinions
"both sides were deeply in earnest, even passionate"; "an entirely sincere and cruel tyrant"; "a film with a solemn social message"
dear, devout, earnest, heartfeltadjective
earnest
"one's dearest wish"; "devout wishes for their success"; "heartfelt condolences"
businesslike, earnestadjective
not distracted by anything unrelated to the goal
Wiktionary
Earnestnoun
A male given name from the Germanic languages, of occasional usage, variant of Ernest.
Samuel Johnson's Dictionary
EARNESTadjective
Etymology: eornest, Saxon.
He which prayeth in due sort, is thereby made the more attentive to hear; and he which heareth, the more earnest to pray for the time which we bestow, as well in the one as the other. Richard Hooker, b. v. s. 34.
On that prospect strange
Their earnest eyes they fix’d; imagining,
For one forbidden tree, a multitude
Now ris’n, to work them further woe or shame. John Milton, P. L.They are never more earnest to disturb us, than when they see us most earnest in this duty. Brian Duppa.
Earnestnoun
Etymology: from the adjective.
Take heed that this jest do not one day turn to earnest. Philip Sidney.
I told you Klaius was the hapless wight,
Who earnest found what they accounted play. Philip Sidney.Therewith she laugh’d, and did her earnest end in jest. F. Q.
That high All-seer, which I dallied with,
Hath turn’d my feigned prayer on my head,
And given in earnest what I begg’d in jest. William Shakespeare, Rich. III.Nor can I think that God, Creator wise!
Though threat’ning, will in earnest so destroy
Us, his prime creatures. John Milton, Paradise Lost, b. ix.But the main business and earnest of the world is money, dominion, and power. Roger L'Estrange, Fab. 5.
We shall die in earnest, and it will not become us to live in jest. Government of the Tongue, s. 7.
Sempronius, you have acted like yourself;
One would have thought you had been half in earnest. Add.The apostles term it the handsel or earnest of that which is to come. Richard Hooker, b. v. s. 5.
Which leader shall the doubtful vict’ry bless,
And give an earnest of the war’s success. Edmund Waller.It may be looked upon as a pledge and earnest of quiet and tranquillity. George Smalridge, Sermons.
The mercies received, great as they are, were earnests and pledges of greater. Francis Atterbury.
You have conspir’d against our person,
Join’d with an enemy proclaim’d, and from his coffers
Receiv’d the golden earnest of our death. William Shakespeare, Henry V.Pay back the earnest penny received from Satan, and fling away his sin. Decay of Piety.
ChatGPT
earnest
Earnest is a serious mental state that usually involves sincerity and intensity. It describes being genuine, showing deep sincerity or feeling, devoted, and determined in purpose. It can also refer to a portion of something, often money, given in advance as a show of good faith or intent.
Webster Dictionary
Earnestnoun
seriousness; reality; fixed determination; eagerness; intentness
Earnestadjective
ardent in the pursuit of an object; eager to obtain or do; zealous with sincerity; with hearty endeavor; heartfelt; fervent; hearty; -- used in a good sense; as, earnest prayers
Earnestadjective
intent; fixed closely; as, earnest attention
Earnestadjective
serious; important
Earnestverb
to use in earnest
Earnestnoun
something given, or a part paid beforehand, as a pledge; pledge; handsel; a token of what is to come
Earnestnoun
something of value given by the buyer to the seller, by way of token or pledge, to bind the bargain and prove the sale
Etymology: [AS. eornost, eornest; akin to OHG. ernust, G. ernst; cf. Icel. orrosta battle, perh. akin to Gr. 'orny`nai to excite, L. oriri to rise.]
Chambers 20th Century Dictionary
Earnest
ėr′nest, adj. showing strong desire: determined: eager to obtain: intent: sincere: serious.—n. seriousness: reality.—adv. Ear′nestly.—n. Ear′nestness. [A.S. eornost, seriousness; Ger. ernst.]
Earnest
ėr′nest, n. money given in token of a bargain made—also Ear′nest-mon′ey, Ear′nest-penn′y: a pledge: first-fruits. [Ety. obscure; possibly conn. with arles.]
Dictionary of Nautical Terms
earnest
A sum paid in advance to secure a seaman's service.
Surnames Frequency by Census Records
EARNEST
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, Earnest is ranked #4452 in terms of the most common surnames in America.
The Earnest surname appeared 7,968 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 3 would have the surname Earnest.
85.7% or 6,830 total occurrences were White.
9.4% or 753 total occurrences were Black.
2.2% or 179 total occurrences were of Hispanic origin.
1.5% or 120 total occurrences were of two or more races.
0.7% or 59 total occurrences were Asian.
0.3% or 27 total occurrences were American Indian or Alaskan Native.
Anagrams for earnest »
estrane
nearest
eastern
sterane
Numerology
Chaldean Numerology
The numerical value of earnest in Chaldean Numerology is: 7
Pythagorean Numerology
The numerical value of earnest in Pythagorean Numerology is: 1
Examples of earnest in a Sentence
For President Obama part, Earnest praised the jounalists in the room, saying they serve a role that is a uniquely American feature of our government.
Any problem can be solved with patience, wisdom and earnest effort.
We cannot be too earnest, too persistent, too determined, about living superior to the herd-instinct.
I think that in earnest they are trying to correct, but we can still do better in pushing to ensure these recoveries are equitable.
Kim cannot give up everything at once. What is clear is that he is showing his earnest willingness to pave the way for smooth negotiations.
Popularity rank by frequency of use
References
Translations for earnest
From our Multilingual Translation Dictionary
- جاد, جديArabic
- сур'ёзныBelarusian
- добросъвестен, капаро, сериозен, задълбочен, депозитBulgarian
- seriósCatalan, Valencian
- vážnýCzech
- intensiv, ernst, ernsthaft, aufrichtig, leidenschaftlich, sehnsüchtigGerman
- σοβαρόςGreek
- intención, serioSpanish
- ardent, sérieuxFrench
- बयानाHindi
- komoly, buzgó, súlyosHungarian
- voglioso, desideroso, grave, fervente, serio, pegno, zelante, pressanteItalian
- 真面目, 真剣, 本気Japanese
- alvorNorwegian
- sério, sinceroPortuguese
- усиленный, серьёзный, ревностныйRussian
- znȁčājan, vážan, ȍzbīljanSerbo-Croatian
Get even more translations for earnest »
Translation
Find a translation for the earnest definition in other languages:
Select another language:
- - Select -
- 简体中文 (Chinese - Simplified)
- 繁體中文 (Chinese - Traditional)
- Español (Spanish)
- Esperanto (Esperanto)
- 日本語 (Japanese)
- Português (Portuguese)
- Deutsch (German)
- العربية (Arabic)
- Français (French)
- Русский (Russian)
- ಕನ್ನಡ (Kannada)
- 한국어 (Korean)
- עברית (Hebrew)
- Gaeilge (Irish)
- Українська (Ukrainian)
- اردو (Urdu)
- Magyar (Hungarian)
- मानक हिन्दी (Hindi)
- Indonesia (Indonesian)
- Italiano (Italian)
- தமிழ் (Tamil)
- Türkçe (Turkish)
- తెలుగు (Telugu)
- ภาษาไทย (Thai)
- Tiếng Việt (Vietnamese)
- Čeština (Czech)
- Polski (Polish)
- Bahasa Indonesia (Indonesian)
- Românește (Romanian)
- Nederlands (Dutch)
- Ελληνικά (Greek)
- Latinum (Latin)
- Svenska (Swedish)
- Dansk (Danish)
- Suomi (Finnish)
- فارسی (Persian)
- ייִדיש (Yiddish)
- հայերեն (Armenian)
- Norsk (Norwegian)
- English (English)
Word of the Day
Would you like us to send you a FREE new word definition delivered to your inbox daily?
Citation
Use the citation below to add this definition to your bibliography:
Style:MLAChicagoAPA
"earnest." Definitions.net. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 27 Apr. 2024. <https://www.definitions.net/definition/earnest>.
Discuss these earnest definitions with the community:
Report Comment
We're doing our best to make sure our content is useful, accurate and safe.
If by any chance you spot an inappropriate comment while navigating through our website please use this form to let us know, and we'll take care of it shortly.
Attachment
You need to be logged in to favorite.
Log In