earnestness

C2+ Topic:Abstract Ideas

US /ˈɝnəstnəs/ UK /ˈɜːnəstnəs/ See IPA manual

Meanings

1

noun
sincere and serious conviction or intensity of purpose

He pleaded his case with an earnestness that won the jury over.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

1 noun · sincere and serious... sincerity seriousness fervor gravity intensity zeal conviction

Opposites

flippancy frivolity insincerity

Word family

Related forms earnest earnestly

Etymology

From 'earnest' + the noun-forming suffix '-ness'. 'Earnest' is from Old English 'eornost' ('seriousness, zeal'), from Proto-Germanic '*ernustuz'.

eornost Old English

View etymology graph ->

Topics

Abstract Ideas Word Formation & Derivatives

External links

# earnestness

**Type:** Word
**Level:** C2+
**Part of speech:** noun
**IPA (US):** /ˈɝnəstnəs/
**IPA (UK):** /ˈɜːnəstnəs/

## Meanings
1. sincere and serious conviction or intensity of purpose

## Examples
- He pleaded his case with an earnestness that won the jury over.

## Synonyms
- sincerity
- seriousness
- fervor
- gravity
- intensity
- zeal
- conviction

## Antonyms
- flippancy
- frivolity
- insincerity

## Related Forms
- earnest
- earnestly

## Roots and Affixes
- Root: eornost

## Etymology
From 'earnest' + the noun-forming suffix '-ness'. 'Earnest' is from Old English 'eornost' ('seriousness, zeal'), from Proto-Germanic '*ernustuz'.

## AI Etymology
Earnestness is from 'earnest' + the noun-forming suffix '-ness'. 'Earnest' is from Old English 'eornost' ('seriousness, zeal'), from Proto-Germanic '*ernustuz'. The immediate etymological form is Old English eornost. The suffix -ness marks an abstract noun of quality or state, so the English form is shaped by recognizable word formation as well as by its inherited or borrowed base. In present use as a noun, it means "sincere and serious conviction or intensity of purpose", keeping the historical formation close to the word's ordinary semantic work. Related words include earnest and earnestly.

## Topics
- Abstract Ideas
- Word Formation & Derivatives

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