earnest

The word “earnest” has 2 syllables: earn-est

It's pronounced as /ˈɜːrnɪst/

What is synonym and antonym for earnest?

In the thesaurus, “earnest” has 90 synonyms and 120 antonyms.

Here are synonyms and antonyms for earnest along with examples of usage in sentences.

Synonyms for earnest

absorption
ardent
attentiveness
businesslike
busy
close
concentration
constant
decisiveness
deliberation
determination
determined
devoted
dignified
diligent
distinguished
eager
earnestness
elevated
engrossment
enthrallment
fervent
fervid
firm
firmness
fixed
for real
gloomy
grave
graveness
gravitas
gravity
grim
harsh
heartfelt
humorless
humorlessness
immersion
impassioned
industrious
intensity
intent
intentness
keen
mean business
meaningful
no-fooling
no-nonsense
passionate
perseverant
playing hard ball
po-faced
professional
purposeful
purposefulness
resolute
resoluteness
resolve
resolved
sedate
sedulous
serious
serious-minded
serious-mindedness
seriousness
severe
sincere
sober
soberness
sobersided
sobriety
solemn
solemnity
solemnness
somber
stable
staid
staidness
steady
stern
strict
thoughtful
uncomic
unsmiling
urgent
vehement
warm
weighty
wholehearted
zealous

Antonyms for earnest

absurd
antic
apathetic
asinine
balmy
brainless
changeable
cheerfulness
cockeyed
cold
comic
comical
cool
crazy
cuckoo
daffy
daft
dalliance
dilettantism
dispassionate
dotty
droll
facetious
facetiousness
farcical
fatuous
featherbrained
flightiness
flighty
flip
flippancy
flippant
foolish
frigid
frivolity
frivolous
frivolousness
funny
gaiety
gayety
glee
goofy
half-witted
harebrained
high-spiritedness
hilarious
humorous
hysteric
hysterical
inconstant
indifferent
insane
insincere
irresolute
jerky
jesting
jocular
joking
kittenish
kookie
kooky
laughable
levity
light
light-headed
lighthearted
lightheartedness
lightness
looney
loony
loose
ludic
ludicrous
lunatic
mad
merriment
mirth
nonsensical
nutty
play
playful
preposterous
puerile
ridiculous
riotous
risible
sappy
scatterbrained
screaming
screwball
senseless
shallowness
sidesplitting
silly
superficiality
thoughtless
trivial
unconcerned
unenthusiastic
unexcited
unfixed
unimportant
unpassionate
unpurposeful
unserious
unseriousness
unstable
unsteady
unthoughtful
untrustworthy
unwise
uproarious
wacky
wavering
weak
weak-minded
whacky
witless
wobbly
zany

Meanings of earnest

noun
1. Gravity; serious purpose; earnestness.
2. Seriousness; reality; actuality (as opposed to joking or pretence).
3. A sum of money paid in advance as a deposit; hence, a pledge, a guarantee, an indication of something to come.
verb
1. To be serious with; use in earnest.
2. To gain (success, reward, recognition) through applied effort or work.
3. To receive payment for work.
4. To receive payment for work.
5. To cause (someone) to receive payment or reward.
6. To achieve by being worthy of.
7. To curdle, as milk.
8. To long; to yearn.
9. To grieve.
adjective
1. (said of an action or an utterance) Serious or honest.
2. (with a positive sense) Focused in the pursuit of an objective; eager to obtain or do.
3. Intent; focused; showing a lot of concentration.
4. (said of a person or a person's character) Possessing or characterised by seriousness.
5. Strenuous; diligent.
6. Serious; weighty; of a serious, weighty, or important nature; important.

Example Sentences

In the earnest discussion, they addressed the challenges facing the team.
Her earnest efforts to learn a new language were evident in her progress.
The candidate spoke with earnest conviction about their commitment to the community.
The apology was sincere and delivered in an earnest manner.
During the negotiation, both parties engaged in an earnest attempt to find common ground.

On this page you'll find 210 synonyms, antonyms, or another words to earnest, such as: absorption, absurd, antic, apathetic, ardent, asinine, attentiveness.

Make sure to choose synonyms and antonyms that are appropriate for the context of the sentence.