Thesaurus.com
Dictionary.com
Showing results for earnest. Search instead for arnes.
Definitions
Trivia Time
Who popularized the word earnest in the play The Importance of Being Earnest?

earnest

[ur-nist] / ˈɜr nΙͺst /




Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

See Examples For:

Both Anthropic and OpenAI say they take safety seriously and their calls for regulation are in earnest.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 10, 2026

Rodrigo’s public work in activism began in earnest on the tour for “Guts” in February 2024.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 27, 2026

The arm-wrestling will kick off in earnest at a Brussels summit in October, with a likely second meeting in November, before a grand finale in December when leaders will look to seal the deal.

From Barron's ● Aug. 27, 2026

To them, Owens is tenacious, entertaining, earnest and sincere — a voice they trust in a dishonest and chaotic media landscape.

From Salon ● Aug. 26, 2026

He sounded so earnest, I couldn’t tell him I’d found the picture depressing and melodramatic.

From "The Red Car to Hollywood" by Jennie Liu




Vocabulary lists containing earnest


Vocabulary.com logo
by dictionary.com

Dictionary.com's Learning Companion

Go beyond just looking up words.
Remember them forever with VocabTrainer.

Start training