Synonyms of earnestness

earnestness

noun

as in intentness

a mental state free of jesting or trifling

practiced the art of acting with great earnestness

Synonyms & Similar Words

• intentness
• earnest
• gravity
• seriousness
• solemnity
• decisiveness
• solemnness
• soberness
• attentiveness
• purposefulness
• graveness
• intensity
• staidness
• sobriety
• deliberation
• resoluteness
• serious-mindedness
• determination
• gravitas
• concentration
• humorlessness
• resolve
• immersion
• firmness
• absorption
• engrossment
• enthrallment

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• levity
• flippancy
• lightness
• frivolity
• lightheartedness
• facetiousness
• frivolousness
• play
• flightiness
• lightness
• superficiality
• shallowness
• unseriousness
• cheerfulness
• dilettantism
• mirth
• glee
• dalliance
• gaiety
• merriment
• high-spiritedness

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of earnestness

Elizabeth Strout illustrates a kind man with an endearing earnestness about him who struggles with the fact that the world is not so simple anymore. — Kat Chen, Condé Nast Traveler, 23 Sep. 2026

The diaries—particularly in Julian Sachs’s unexpurgated version, which captures Pavese’s alternating earnestness, archness, and pungent vulgarity—pose something of a problem. — Max Norman, Harpers Magazine, 22 Sep. 2026

The book beams in from a world where the culture overlooks the professionalism and earnestness of the Beatles because Velvetmania took off in its place. — Craig Jenkins, Vulture, 22 Sep. 2026

She is considered the Canadian equivalent to the Down Under disco queen Kylie Minogue by some, and recalls a young Taylor Swift for her unabashed earnestness. — Jaeden Pinder, Rolling Stone, 14 Sep. 2026

But the razzle-dazzle pairs oddly with his earnestness, as do the video projections with antique furnishings. — Rachel Syme, New Yorker, 11 Sep. 2026

And the following books represent a rich range of literary earnestness. — Literary Hub, 10 Sep. 2026

There’s not enough action for genre fans and the narrative’s blend of melodrama and earnestness may turn off highbrow arthouse viewers. — Alissa Simon, Variety, 7 Sep. 2026

Caesar performed with an earnestness that served as the foundation for an intimately personal relationship with fans — one that indeed transcended words. — Sydney Gaw, Oc Register, 26 Aug. 2026