Definition of "earnest" in English

noun

1. Gravity; serious purpose; earnestness.

   • 1914, February 13, The Times, Obituary: Canon Augustus Jessopp He wrote well in a forcible, colloquial style, with the air of being tremendously in earnest, and full of knowledge which overflowed his pages, tricked out with somewhat boisterous illustrations.

2. Seriousness; reality; actuality (as opposed to joking or pretence)

verb

1. (transitive) To be serious with; use in earnest.

adjective

1. (said of an action or an utterance) Serious, sincere, ingenuous.

2. (with a positive sense) Focused in the pursuit of an objective; honestly eager to obtain or do.

   • earnest prayers

3. Intent; focused; showing a lot of concentration.

   • earnest attention

4. (said of a person or a person's character) Possessing or characterised by seriousness.

   • an earnest disposition

5. Strenuous; diligent.

   • earnest efforts

6. Serious; weighty; of a serious, weighty, or important nature; important.

noun

1. A sum of money paid in advance as a deposit; hence, a pledge, a guarantee, an indication of something to come.

verb

1. (archaic) second-person singular simple present indicative of earn