Transcription
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- US Pronunciation
- US IPA
- UK Pronunciation
- UK IPA
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- [ur-nist]
- /ˈɜr nɪst/
- /ˈɜːnɪstnəs/
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- US Pronunciation
- US IPA
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- [ur-nist]
- /ˈɜr nɪst/
Definitions of earnestness word
- adjective earnestness serious in intention, purpose, or effort; sincerely zealous: an earnest worker. 1
- adjective earnestness showing depth and sincerity of feeling: earnest words; an earnest entreaty. 1
- adjective earnestness seriously important; demanding or receiving serious attention. 1
- noun earnestness full seriousness, as of intention or purpose: to speak in earnest. 1
- noun earnestness The quality of being earnest; sincerity; seriousness. 1
Information block about the term
Origin of earnestness
First appearance:
before 1000 One of the 6% oldest English words
before 1000; Middle English erneste, Old English eornoste (adj.); Middle English ernest, Old English eornost (noun); cognate with Dutch, German ernest
Historical Comparancy
Parts of speech for Earnestness
noun
adjective
verb
adverb
pronoun
preposition
conjunction
determiner
exclamation
earnestness popularity
A common word. It’s meaning is known to most children of preschool age. About 87% of English native speakers know the meaning and use the word.
This word is included in each student's vocabulary. Most likely there is at least one movie with this word in the title.
earnestness usage trend in Literature
This diagram is provided by Google Ngram ViewerSynonyms for earnestness
noun earnestness
- devotion — Devotion is great love, affection, or admiration for someone.
- solemnity — the state or character of being solemn; earnestness; gravity; impressiveness: the solemnity of a state funeral.
- zeal — fervor for a person, cause, or object; eager desire or endeavor; enthusiastic diligence; ardor.
- ardor — emotional warmth; passion
- intensity — the quality or condition of being intense.
Antonyms for earnestness
noun earnestness
- apathy — You can use apathy to talk about someone's state of mind if you are criticizing them because they do not seem to be interested in or enthusiastic about anything.
- indifference — lack of interest or concern: We were shocked by their indifference toward poverty.
- lethargy — the quality or state of being drowsy and dull, listless and unenergetic, or indifferent and lazy; apathetic or sluggish inactivity.
- coldness — having a relatively low temperature; having little or no warmth: cold water; a cold day.
- coolness — moderately cold; neither warm nor cold: a rather cool evening.
Top questions with earnestness
- what is the meaning of earnestness?
See also
Matching words
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