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adj. Idiom: Showing or expressing sincerity or seriousness: an earnest gesture of goodwill. See Synonyms at serious. 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). [Middle English ernest, from Old English eornoste; see er-1 in the Appendix of Indo-European roots.] earnest·ly adv. earnest·ness n. |
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition copyright ©2022 by HarperCollins Publishers. All rights reserved.
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 ʿrb in the Appendix of Semitic roots.] |
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition copyright ©2022 by HarperCollins Publishers. All rights reserved.
