earnestly

adverb

ear·​nest·​ly ˈər-nəst-lē How to pronounce earnestly (audio)
: in an earnest and serious manner : not lightly, casually, or flippantly
speaking earnestly
asking earnestly for forgiveness
providing the relief that they had earnestly hoped for
She spoke so earnestly, with such emotion in her voice, that Omakayas was always to remember that moment …Louise Erdrich
They sing contemporary R&B earnestly, like they borrowed it and want to return it in better condition than when they got it.Danyel Smith

Examples of earnestly in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
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Eventually, DreamWorks Animation would begin to earnestly tackle heavier themes rather than just razzing audiences with references, though even after emerging from this creative desert, nothing in the filmography compares to The Prince of Egypt. James Grebey, Vulture, 31 Jan. 2025 The well-spoken and likable subjects foster a generous tone that could earnestly inspire compassion from some less tolerant Americans. Alison Foreman, IndieWire, 25 Jan. 2025 But instead of laughing in Gladden’s face, Barinholtz praised him for earnestly committing to the responsibility of leading deliberations and being kind to the weirdos with whom he was sequestered. Judy Berman, TIME, 22 Jan. 2025 Once in curatorial hands, the painstaking work to reclaim science from collector fragments earnestly began. Leonard David, Space.com, 19 Jan. 2025 See all Example Sentences for earnestly 

Word History

First Known Use

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of earnestly was before the 12th century

Dictionary Entries Near earnestly

Cite this Entry

“Earnestly.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/earnestly. Accessed 19 Feb. 2025.

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