adj
Meaning 1
Sincere; determined; truthful.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
Phrase guide
in earnest
Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.
Sound
Pronunciation
Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.
-
Mid-Atlantic, US: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
adv
Meaning 2
With considerable commitment, determination, or effect; significantly.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Examples
- It's snowing in earnest right now.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
adv
Meaning 3
Having a sincere intent. (of a person)
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Examples
- He was talking in earnest, even though his speech carried an ironic tone.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
adverb
Meaning 4
in a serious manner
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
Examples
- talking earnestly with his son
- she started studying snakes in earnest
- a play dealing seriously with the question of divorce
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: seriously, earnestly
Antonyms: none provided
History
Etymology
Dates back at least to Old English on eornost, of the same meaning of the adverbial sense below.
Across languages
Translations
31 source translations are retained for this English entry.
- Chinese Mandarin: 誠懇的 /诚恳的 (chéngkěn de) — sincere; determined; truthful
- Esperanto: serioza — sincere; determined; truthful
- Finnish: vakavissaan — sincere; determined; truthful
- Finnish: tosissaan — sincere; determined; truthful
- German: ernsthaft — sincere; determined; truthful
- Spanish: sincero — sincere; determined; truthful
- Azerbaijani: ciddi — with considerable commitment, determination, or effect
- Azerbaijani: ciddi surətdə — with considerable commitment, determination, or effect
- Azerbaijani: ciddi olaraq — with considerable commitment, determination, or effect
- Chinese Mandarin: 認真地 /认真地 (rènzhēn de) — with considerable commitment, determination, or effect
- Esperanto: serioza — with considerable commitment, determination, or effect
- Finnish: tosissaan — with considerable commitment, determination, or effect
- Finnish: kunnolla — with considerable commitment, determination, or effect
- French: sérieusement — with considerable commitment, determination, or effect
- German: ernsthaft — with considerable commitment, determination, or effect
- Hungarian: komolyan — with considerable commitment, determination, or effect
- Hungarian: igazán — with considerable commitment, determination, or effect
- Hungarian: derekasan — with considerable commitment, determination, or effect
- Italian: sul serio — with considerable commitment, determination, or effect
- Polish: na poważnie — with considerable commitment, determination, or effect
- Polish: na serio — with considerable commitment, determination, or effect
- Portuguese: seriamente — with considerable commitment, determination, or effect
- Portuguese: a sério — with considerable commitment, determination, or effect
- Russian: всерьёз (vserʹjóz) — with considerable commitment, determination, or effect
- Spanish: sinceramente — with considerable commitment, determination, or effect
- Chinese Mandarin: 真誠的 /真诚的 (zhēnchéng de) — having a sincere intent
- Finnish: rehellisesti — having a sincere intent
- Finnish: tosissaan — having a sincere intent
- French: sincèrement — having a sincere intent
- Polish: szczerze — having a sincere intent
- Portuguese: sinceramente — having a sincere intent