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earnest

ear·nest 1

 (ûr′nĭst)

adj.

Showing or expressing sincerity or seriousness: an earnest gesture of goodwill. See Synonyms at serious.

Idiom:

in earnest

1. With a purposeful or sincere intent: settled down to study in earnest for the examination.

2. Serious; determined: "Both sides are deeply in earnest, with passions that approximate those of civil war" (Conor Cruise O'Brien).

ear′nest·ly adv.

ear′nest·ness n.

ear·nest 2

 (ûr′nĭst)

n.

1. Earnest money.

2. A token of something to come; a promise or assurance.

[Middle English ernest, variant of ernes, alteration of Old French erres, pl. of erre, pledge, from Latin arra, alteration of arrabō, from Greek arrabōn, earnest-money, of Canaanite origin; see ʕrb in Semitic roots.]

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

earnest

(ˈɜːnɪst)

adj

1. serious in mind or intention: an earnest student.

2. showing or characterized by sincerity of intention: an earnest promise.

3. demanding or receiving serious attention

[Old English eornost; related to Old High German ernust seriousness, Old Norse ern energetic, efficient, Gothic arniba secure]

ˈearnestly adv

ˈearnestness n

earnest

(ˈɜːnɪst)

n

1. a part or portion of something given in advance as a guarantee of the remainder

2. (Law) contract law Also called: earnest money something given, usually a nominal sum of money, to confirm a contract

3. any token of something to follow; pledge; assurance

[C13: from Old French erres pledges, plural of erre earnest money, from Latin arrha, shortened from arrabō pledge, from Greek arrabon, from Hebrew `ērābhōn pledge, from `ārabh he pledged]

Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014

ear•nest1

(ˈɜr nɪst)

adj.

1. serious in intention, purpose, or effort; sincerely zealous.

2. showing depth and sincerity of feeling: an earnest entreaty.

3. seriously important; grave.

n.

4. full seriousness, as of intention or purpose: to be in earnest.

[before 1000; Middle English ernest, Old English eornost zeal, seriousness, c. Middle Low German ernest, Old High German ernust]

ear′nest•ly, adv.

ear′nest•ness, n.

syn: earnest, resolute, serious, sincere imply having qualities of steady purposefulness. earnest implies having a purpose and being steadily and soberly eager in pursuing it: an earnest student. resolute adds a quality of determination: resolute in defending the rights of others. serious implies having depth and a soberness of attitude that contrasts with gaiety and frivolity; it may include the qualities of both earnestness and resolution: serious and thoughtful. sincere suggests genuineness, trustworthiness, and absence of superficiality: a sincere interest in a person's welfare.

ear•nest2

(ˈɜr nɪst)

n.

1. a portion of something, given or done in advance as a pledge of the remainder.

2. money given by a buyer to a seller to bind a contract.

[1175–1225; Middle English ernes(t), alter. of Old French erres, pl. of erre earnest money < Latin arr(h)a short for arr(h)abō < Greek arrhabṓn < Semitic (compare Hebrew ‘ērābhōn security, pledge)]

Random House Kernerman Webster's College Dictionary, © 2010 K Dictionaries Ltd. Copyright 2005, 1997, 1991 by Random House, Inc. All rights reserved.

ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:

Noun1.earnest - something of value given by one person to another to bind a contract

surety, security - property that your creditor can claim in case you default on your obligation; "bankers are reluctant to lend without good security"

arles, earnest money - money given by a buyer to a seller to bind a contract

Adj.1.earnest - characterized by a firm and humorless belief in the validity of your opinions; "both sides were deeply in earnest, even passionate"; "an entirely sincere and cruel tyrant"; "a film with a solemn social message"

serious - concerned with work or important matters rather than play or trivialities; "a serious student of history"; "a serious attempt to learn to ski"; "gave me a serious look"; "a serious young man"; "are you serious or joking?"; "Don't be so serious!"

2.earnest - earnest; "one's dearest wish"; "devout wishes for their success"; "heartfelt condolences"

sincere - open and genuine; not deceitful; "he was a good man, decent and sincere"; "felt sincere regret that they were leaving"; "sincere friendship"

3.earnest - not distracted by anything unrelated to the goal

purposeful - serving as or indicating the existence of a purpose or goal

Based on WordNet 3.0, Farlex clipart collection. © 2003-2012 Princeton University, Farlex Inc.

earnest

adjective

2. determined, firm, dogged, constant, urgent, intent, persistent, ardent, persevering, resolute, heartfelt, zealous, vehement, wholehearted Despite their earnest efforts, they failed to win support.
determined indifferent, unconcerned, uninterested, couldn't-care-less, apathetic, unenthusiastic, half-hearted

in earnest

Collins Thesaurus of the English Language – Complete and Unabridged 2nd Edition. 2002 © HarperCollins Publishers 1995, 2002

earnest 1

adjective

1. Marked by sober sincerity:

2. Full of or marked by dignity and seriousness:

3. Having great consequence or weight:

earnest 2

noun

Something given to guarantee the repayment of a loan or the fulfillment of an obligation:

The American Heritage® Roget's Thesaurus. Copyright © 2013, 2014 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

Translations

جادُّ، جدّيعـاقِد العَزْم

oprigtigseriøs

alvarlegur, ákveîinnalvarlegur, einlægur

iš širdiesne juokaisrimtai

apņēmīgsdedzīgsnopietns

earnest

1 [ˈɜːnɪst]

A. ADJ (= serious) [person, character etc] → serio, formal; (= sincere) → sincero; (= eager) [wish, request] → vivo, ferviente
it is my earnest wish that → deseo fervientemente que + subjun

earnest

2 [ˈɜːnɪst] N → prenda f, señal f
earnest money → fianza f

Collins Spanish Dictionary - Complete and Unabridged 8th Edition 2005 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1971, 1988 © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2003, 2005

earnest

[ˈɜːrnɪst]

adj

[person] → sérieux/euse; [expression] → sérieux/euse

[wish] → sincère; [effort] → sérieux/euse

n

to be in earnest (= serious) [person] → être sérieux

(= sign) an earnest of sth → un gage de qch
as an earnest of sth → en gage de qch

Collins English/French Electronic Resource. © HarperCollins Publishers 2005

earnest

n

in earnest (= for real) → richtig; then she started crying in earnest → dann fing sie erst an richtig zu weinen; to be in earnest about something (= serious) → etw ernst meinen; is he in earnest about it? → ist es ihm ernst damit?; this time I’m in earnest → diesmal meine ich es ernst, diesmal ist es mein Ernst

earnest (money) (Jur, = deposit) → Handgeld nt

(= guarantee) → Pfand nt (→ of +gen); an earnest of one’s good intentions → ein (Unter)pfand seiner guten Absichten

Collins German Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged 7th Edition 2005. © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1980 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1997, 1999, 2004, 2005, 2007

earnest

[ˈɜːnɪst]

1. adj (person, character, request) → serio/a; (wish) → sincero/a

2. n

b. (Law) (also earnest money) → caparra

Collins Italian Dictionary 1st Edition © HarperCollins Publishers 1995

earnest

(ˈəːnist) adjective

1. serious or over-serious. an earnest student; She wore an earnest expression.

2. showing determination, sincerity or strong feeling. He made an earnest attempt to improve his work.

ˈearnestness nounearnestly adverbin earnest

1. serious; not joking. I am in earnest when I say this.

2. seriously; with energy and determination. He set to work in earnest.

Kernerman English Multilingual Dictionary © 2006-2013 K Dictionaries Ltd.