earnest

Meaning

Noun

1. (uncountable) Gravity; serious purpose; earnestness.
2. (uncountable) Seriousness; reality; actuality (as opposed to joking or pretence)

Verb

To be serious with; use in earnest.

Adj

1. Serious, sincere, ingenuous.
2. Focused in the pursuit of an objective; honestly eager to obtain or do.
3. Intent; focused; showing a lot of concentration.
4. Possessing or characterised by seriousness.
5. Strenuous; diligent.
6. Serious; weighty; of a serious, weighty, or important nature; important.

Verb

second-person singular simple present indicative of earn

earn

• Verb
• Noun

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Synonyms

serious

sincere

solemn

grave

🪦

zealous

ardent

diligent

severe

deposit

eager

staid

devout

seriousness

stern

down payment

urgent

‼️

strict

genuine

acute

pledge

conscientious

sedate

advance

businesslike

wholehearted

heart-whole

monetary deposit

heartfelt

dear

tense

resolute

fervid

patient

security

fervent

cordial

important

pressing

compelling

honest

kind

truthful

enthusiastic

emulous

collateral

emphatic

clever

artless

hearty

heart-to-heart

Translations

sérieux

ernst

serio

serio

sério

ernstig

sincero

ernsthaft

serieus

sincère

grave

🪦

formal

stemmig

zelante

Pronounced as (IPA)

/ˈɝ.nɪst/

Etymology

Inherited from Middle English: ernest

Inherited from Old English: eornest

Cognate with Western Frisian: earnst

Cognate with Dutch: ernst

Cognate with German: Ernst

Cognate with Icelandic: ern

Cognate with Gothic: 𐌰𐍂𐌽𐌹𐌱𐌰

Inherited from Middle English: eornest

Inherited from Old English: eornoste

Cognate with Northern Frisian: ernste

Cognate with Middle Low German: ernest

Cognate with German: ernst

In summary

From Middle English ernest, eornest, from Old English eornest, eornost, eornust (“earnestness, zeal, seriousness, battle”), from Proto-Germanic *ernustuz (“earnest, strength, solidity, struggle, fight”), a derivative of Proto-Germanic *arniz (“efficient, capable, diligent, sure”), from Proto-Indo-European *er- (“to cause to move, arouse, increase”).
Cognate with West Frisian earnst (“earnest, seriousness”), Dutch ernst (“seriousness, gravity, earnest”), German Ernst (“seriousness, earnestness, zeal, vigour”), Icelandic ern (“brisk, vigorous”), Gothic 𐌰𐍂𐌽𐌹𐌱𐌰 (arniba, “secure, certain, sure”).
The adjective is from Middle English eornest, from Old English eornoste (“earnest, zealous, serious”), from the noun. Cognate with North Frisian ernste (“earnest”), Middle Low German ernest, ernst (“serious, earnest”), German ernst (“serious, earnest”).