Meaning & use
earnestness
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Meanings
noununcountable
The quality of being sincere, serious, and honest in what you say or do, with no joking or pretending.
Grammar: Uncountable: talk about 'her earnestness' or 'a tone of earnestness', but do not use 'a' or a plural form.
Patterns
- someone's earnestness
- with earnestness
- a lack of earnestness
- the earnestness of something
I was struck by the earnestness in his voice as he promised to help.
Her earnestness made the whole class take the project seriously.
He spoke with such earnestness that nobody doubted a word he said.
noununcountable
Serious and steady effort or commitment shown in doing something.
Grammar: Also uncountable; it often follows words like 'real', 'genuine' or 'youthful'.
Patterns
- the earnestness of someone's effort
- do something with earnestness
- youthful earnestness
The earnestness of her training paid off when she won the regional final.
You could see the earnestness of the volunteers in every small task they finished.
His youthful earnestness sometimes made older colleagues smile, but they respected it.
Common combinations
- with earnestness
- She explained the rules with earnestness, as if the game really mattered.
- a tone of earnestness
- There was a new tone of earnestness in his emails after the meeting.
- genuine earnestness
- What impressed the judges was her genuine earnestness rather than her polish.
- the earnestness of youth
- The earnestness of youth can be exhausting, but it gets things done.
- speak with earnestness
- He spoke with earnestness about the need to repair the roof before winter.
Synonyms and how they differ
- sincerity
- Very close in meaning, but sincerity stresses honesty and lack of pretense, while earnestness also suggests serious effort and intensity.
- seriousness
- Seriousness is broader and can describe a mood or situation; earnestness usually describes a person's sincere, committed manner.
- zeal
- Zeal is stronger and more energetic, often suggesting enthusiasm for a cause, whereas earnestness is quieter and steadier.
- commitment
- Commitment focuses on loyalty and continued effort over time, not on the sincere, unplayful manner that earnestness describes.
Opposites
Word family
Commonly confused: earnestness or earnesty? earnestness or honesty?
earnestness vs earnesty
'Earnesty' is not a standard English word; learners sometimes invent it from 'honesty'. Use earnestness for the noun.
earnestness vs honesty
Honesty means telling the truth and not cheating; earnestness means being sincere and serious, even when the facts are hard.
Practice
Which sentence uses earnestness correctly?
Choose one answer.
Earnestness is uncountable, so 'an earnestness' with a describing phrase is fine, but it has no plural ('earnestnesses') and cannot follow 'is' as a description of a person. 'She is earnestness' would need the adjective: 'She is earnest about her work.'
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “earnestness”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.