businesslike, earnest
(adjective) not distracted by anything unrelated to the goal
earnest, sincere, solemn
(adjective) 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”
dear, devout, earnest, heartfelt
(adjective) sincerely earnest; “one’s dearest wish”; “devout wishes for their success”; “heartfelt condolences”
earnest
(noun) something of value given by one person to another to bind a contract
Source: WordNet® 3.1
earnest (uncountable)
Gravity; serious purpose; earnestness.
Seriousness; reality; actuality (as opposed to joking or pretence)
earnest (third-person singular simple present earnests, present participle earnesting, simple past and past participle earnested)
(transitive) To be serious with; use in earnest.
earnest (comparative earnester or more earnest, superlative earnestest or most earnest)
(said of an action or an utterance) Serious or honest
(with a positive sense) Focused in the pursuit of an objective; eager to obtain or do.
Intent; focused; showing a lot of concentration.
(said of a person or a person's character) Possessing or characterised by seriousness.
Strenuous; diligent.
Serious; weighty; of a serious, weighty, or important nature; important.
earnest (plural earnests)
A sum of money paid in advance as a deposit; hence, a pledge, a guarantee, an indication of something to come.
earnest
(archaic) second-person singular simple present form of earn
• Eastern, Saetern, Tareens, eastern, estrane, nearest, renates, sterane
Earnest
A male given name from Germanic languages, of occasional usage, variant of Ernest.
• Eastern, Saetern, Tareens, eastern, estrane, nearest, renates, sterane
Source: Wiktionary
Ear"nest, n. Etym: [AS. eornost, eornest; akin to OHG. ernust, G. ernst; cf. Icel. orrosta battle, perh. akin to Gr. oriri to rise.]
Definition: Seriousness; reality; fixed determination; eagerness; intentness. Take heed that this jest do not one day turn to earnest. Sir P. Sidney. And given in earnest what I begged in jest. Shak. In earnest, serious; seriously; not in jest; earnestly.
Ear"nest, a.
1. Ardent in the pursuit of an object; eager to obtain or do; zealous with sincerity; with hearty endeavor; heartfelt; fervent; hearty; -- used in a good sense; as, earnest prayers. An earnest advocate to plead for him. Shak.
2. Intent; fixed closely; as, earnest attention.
3. Serious; important. [Obs.] They whom earnest lets do often hinder. Hooker.
Syn.
– Eager; warm; zealous; ardent; animated; importunate; fervent; sincere; serious; hearty; urgent. See Eager.
Ear"nest, v. t.
Definition: To use in earnest. [R.] To earnest them [our arms] with men. Pastor Fido (1602).
Ear"nest, n. Etym: [Prob. corrupted fr. F. arrhes, L. arra, arrha, arrhabo, Gr. ; or perh. fr. W. ernes, akin to Gael. earlas, perh. fr. L. arra. Cf. Arles, Earles penny.]
1. Something given, or a part paid beforehand, as a pledge; pledge; handsel; a token of what is to come. Who hath also sealed us, and given the earnest of the Spirit in our hearts. 2 Cor. i. 22. And from his coffers Received the golden earnest of our death. Shak.
2. (Law)
Definition: Something of value given by the buyer to the seller, by way of token or pledge, to bind the bargain and prove the sale. Kent. Ayliffe. Benjamin. Earnest money (Law), money paid as earnest, to bind a bargain or to ratify and prove a sale.
Syn.
– Earnest, Pledge. These words are here compared as used in their figurative sense. Earnest is not so strong as pledge. An earnest, like first fruits, gives assurance, or at least a high probability, that more is coming of the same kind; a pledge, like money deposited, affords security and ground of reliance for the future. Washington gave earnest of his talent as commander by saving his troops after Braddock's defeat; his fortitude and that of his soldiers during the winter at Valley Forge might rightly be considered a pledge of their ultimate triumph.
Source: Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary 1913 Edition
20 June 2025
(adjective) marked by simplicity; having a humble opinion of yourself; “a modest apartment”; “too modest to wear his medals”
The Boston Tea Party helped popularize coffee in America. The hefty tea tax imposed on the colonies in 1773 resulted in America switching from tea to coffee. In the lead up to the Revolutionary War, it became patriotic to sip java instead of tea. The Civil War made the drink more pervasive. Coffee helped energize tired troops, and drinking it became an expression of freedom.
