Earnest

[Ear·nest]

If you are earnest, it means you are serious about something. Your parents might not want you to drop out of school to follow some fly by night dream, but if you're earnest about wanting a career in show biz, they'll support you.

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Seriousness; reality; fixed determination; eagerness; intentness.

Noun
something of value given by one person to another to bind a contract

Adjective S.
not distracted by anything unrelated to the goal

Adjective S.
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"

Adjective S.
earnest; "one''s dearest wish"; "devout wishes for their success"; "heartfelt condolences"


n.
Seriousness; reality; fixed determination; eagerness; intentness.

a.
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.

a.
Intent; fixed closely; as, earnest attention.

a.
Serious; important.

v. t.
To use in earnest.

n.
Something given, or a part paid beforehand, as a pledge; pledge; handsel; a token of what is to come.

n.
Something of value given by the buyer to the seller, by way of token or pledge, to bind the bargain and prove the sale.


Earnest

Ear"nest , n. [AS. eornost, eornest; akin to OHG. ernust, G. ernst; cf. Icel. orrosta battle, perh. akin to Gr. to excite, L. oriri to rise.] Seriousness; reality; fixed determination; eagerness; intentness.
Take heed that this jest do not one day turn to earnest.
And given in earnest what I begged in jest.
In earnest, serious; seriously; not in jest; earnestly.

Earnest

Ear"nest, a. 1. 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.
An earnest advocate to plead for him.
2. Intent; fixed closely; as, earnest attention. 3. Serious; important. [Obs.]
They whom earnest lets do often hinder.
Syn. -- Eager; warm; zealous; ardent; animated; importunate; fervent; sincere; serious; hearty; urgent. See Eager.

Earnest

Ear"nest, v. t. To use in earnest. [R.]
To earnest them [our arms] with men.

Earnest

Ear"nest, n. [Prob. corrupted fr. F. arrhes, L. arra, arrha, arrhabo, Gr. , of Semitic origin, cf. Heb. r'bevn; or perh. fr. W. ernes, akin to Gael. earlas, perh. fr. L. arra. Cf. Arles, Earles penny.] 1. Something given, or a part paid beforehand, as a pledge; pledge; handsel; a token of what is to come.
Who hath also sealed us, and given the earnest of the Spirit in our hearts.
And from his coffers Received the golden earnest of our death.
2. (Law) Something of value given by the buyer to the seller, by way of token or pledge, to bind the bargain and prove the sale. Kent. Ayliffe. Benjamin. Earnest money (Law), money paid as earnest, to bind a bargain or to ratify and prove a sale. Syn. -- Earnest, Pledge. These words are here compared as used in their figurative sense. Earnest is not so strong as pledge. An earnest, like first fruits, gives assurance, or at least a high probability, that more is coming of the same kind; a pledge, like money deposited, affords security and ground of reliance for the future. Washington gave earnest of his talent as commander by saving his troops after Braddock's defeat; his fortitude and that of his soldiers during the winter at Valley Forge might rightly be considered a pledge of their ultimate triumph.

Seriousness; reality; fixed determination; eagerness; intentness.

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.

To use in earnest.

Something given, or a part paid beforehand, as a pledge; pledge; handsel; a token of what is to come.

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Usage Examples

It's amazing how much you can learn if your intentions are truly earnest.

Politics is not a game. It is an earnest business.

I think I'm much too earnest to be as cool as 'Boyd Crowder'.

My office walls are covered with autographs of famous writers - it's what my children call my 'dead author wall.' I have signatures from Mark Twain, Earnest Hemingway, Jack London, Harriett Beecher Stowe, Pearl Buck, Charles Dickens, Rudyard Kipling, Alfred, Lord Tennyson, to name a few.

I was writing an earnest novel about cruises in the Caribbean and I just started writing 'Bridget Jones' to get some money, to finance this earnest work, and then I chucked it out.

Whatever I have tried to do in life, I have tried with all my heart to do it well whatever I have devoted myself to, I have devoted myself completely in great aims and in small I have always thoroughly been in earnest.

Men who are in earnest are not afraid of consequences.

Misspelled Form

Earnest, Earnest, arnest, Earnest, Eqarnest, Ewarnest, Esarnest, Ezarnest, Eqrnest, Ewrnest, Esrnest, Ezrnest, Eaqrnest, Eawrnest, Easrnest, Eazrnest, Eaernest, Ea4rnest, Ea5rnest, Eatrnest, Eafrnest, Eaenest, Ea4nest, Ea5nest, Eatnest, Eafnest, Earenest, Ear4nest, Ear5nest, Eartnest, Earfnest, Earbnest, Earhnest, Earjnest, Earmnest, Ear nest, Earbest, Earhest, Earjest, Earmest, Ear est, Earnbest, Earnhest, Earnjest, Earnmest, Earn est, Earnwest, Earn3est, Earn4est, Earnrest, Earnsest, Earndest, Earnwst, Earn3st, Earn4st, Earnrst, Earnsst, Earndst, Earnewst, Earne3st, Earne4st, Earnerst, Earnesst, Earnedst, Earneast, Earnewst, Earneest, Earnedst, Earnexst, Earnezst, Earneat, Earnewt, Earneet, Earnedt, Earnext, Earnezt, Earnesat, Earneswt, Earneset, Earnesdt, Earnesxt, Earneszt, Earnesrt, Earnes5t, Earnes6t, Earnesyt, Earnesgt, Earnesr, Earnes5, Earnes6, Earnesy, Earnesg, Earnestr, Earnest5, Earnest6, Earnesty, Earnestg.

Other Usage Examples

You see so many earnest characters in movies all the time, everyone has a purpose.

I know of no greater work for humanity than in the cause of peace, which can only be achieved by the earnest efforts of nations and peoples.

There has not been a war in South America for fifty years, and I have every confidence that the countries of Central and South America are deeply in earnest in the maintenance of peace.

If we don't make earnest moves toward real solutions, then each day we move one day closer to revolution and anarchy in this country. This is the sad, and yet potentially joyous, state of America.

What is earnest is not always true on the contrary, error is often more earnest than truth.

This man is frank and earnest with women. In Fresno, he's Frank and in Chicago he's Ernest.

It took a lot of blood, sweat and tears to get to where we are today, but we have just begun. Today we begin in earnest the work of making sure that the world we leave our children is just a little bit better than the one we inhabit today.

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