earnest
adjective
[ ˈəːnɪst ]
• resulting from or showing sincere and intense conviction.
• "an earnest student"
Similar:
serious,
serious-minded,
solemn,
grave,
sober,
humourless,
staid,
steady,
intense,
committed,
dedicated,
assiduous,
keen,
diligent,
zealous,
industrious,
hard-working,
studious,
thoughtful,
cerebral,
deep,
profound,
bookish,
donnish,
devout,
heartfelt,
wholehearted,
sincere,
impassioned,
deeply felt,
from the heart,
full-hearted,
fervent,
fervid,
ardent,
passionate,
burning,
urgent,
passional,
perfervid,
Origin:
Old English eornoste (adjective), eornost (noun), of Germanic origin; related to German Ernst (noun).
earnest
noun
• a thing intended or regarded as a sign or promise of what is to come.
• "the very deliberateness of their disguise is an earnest of their real aloofness"
Origin:
Middle English ernes, literally ‘instalment paid to confirm a contract’, based on Old French erres, from Latin arra, shortened form of arrabo ‘a pledge’. The spelling was influenced by words ending in -ness; the final -t is probably by association with earnest1.
in earnest
• to a greater extent or more intensely than before.
• "work began again in earnest"
