Thesaurus.com
Dictionary.com
Showing results for earnest. Search instead for bewaffnest.
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 have said they take safety seriously and their calls for government regulation are earnest.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 12, 2026

“And what earnest actually means is direct and truthful.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 9, 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

And then he lay there as the danse macabre of the demons of fear that lived in his body began in earnest.

From "The Great Santini" by Pat Conroy




Vocabulary lists containing earnest


Vocabulary.com logo
by dictionary.com

Just like flashcards, but way more fun

Don't take our word for it. Leave the boring studying behind and join VocabTrainer today. You'll learn even faster and never look back.

Take me to Vocabulary.com