adv ·Moderate ·College level

Definitions

Adverb

1. 1
   In an earnest manner; being very sincere; putting forth genuine effort.

   "The Scarecrow and the Tin Woodman and the Lion now thanked the Good Witch earnestly for her kindness, […]"

Adverb

1. 1
   in a serious manner wordnet

Synonyms

All synonyms

for realin earnestactivelyardentlyassiduouslybec et ongles

Antonyms

All antonyms

dishonestly

Example

More examples

"If you study earnestly, you can expect to pass the exam."

Etymology

From Middle English ernestly, from Old English eornostlīċe (“earnestly, strictly”), equivalent to earnest + -ly.

Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.