|
|
Definition of In earnest
1. Adverb. In a serious manner. "A play dealing seriously with the question of divorce"
Definition of In earnest
1. Adjective. Sincere; determined; truthful. ¹
2. Adverb. Seriously; sincerely, in a significant manner; with considerable commitment, determination, or effect. ¹
¹ Source: wiktionary.com
Lexicographical Neighbors of In Earnest
Literary usage of In earnest
Below you will find example usage of this term as found in modern and/or classical literature:
1. The Law of Contracts by Samuel Williston, Clarence Martin Lewis (1920)
"Or give something in earnest to bind the contract." At the present day, earnest
as distinguished from part payment is seldom or never given. ..."
2. A Dictionary of the English Language: In which the Words are Deduced from ...by Samuel Johnson by Samuel Johnson (1805)
"That high All-seer, which I dallied with, Hath turn'd my feigned prayer on my
head, And giv'n in earnest, what I begg'd in jest. Nor can I think that God, ..."
3. The Living Age by Making of America Project, Eliakim Littell, Robert S. Littell (1868)
"... and the reader will be quite ready to make excuses for the readiness with
which those who criticised it in earnest fell into the snare. ..."
4. Dictionary of National Biography by LESLIE. STEPHEN (1886)
"After remaining there for some months, seemingly awaiting the development of
events in the south, he finally began a southward movement in earnest, ..."
5. Commentaries on the Laws of England: In Four Books by William Blackstone, William Draper Lewis (1902)
"(48) The statute of frauds distinguishes between giving a thing in " earnest,"
and giving it in part payment; the meaning of earnest being any money or ..."
6. The History of English Law Before the Time of Edward I by Frederick Pollock, Frederic William Maitland (1899)
"In the Statute of Frauds,' something in earnest to bind the bargain ' and 'part
payment' are distinguished indeed, but thrown into the same clause as if the ..."
7. Crabb's English Synonyms by George Crabb (1917)
"A person is said to be earnest, or in earnest; a person or thing is said to be
serious: the former characterizes the temper of the mind, ..."
Other Resources:
