Earnest – Showing or expressing sincerity or seriousness
(Pronounced urn-est)
To remember the definition of the word earnest, use the following mnemonic:
"Earn a nest (earnest) if you do the job," he said in all seriousness.
Examples of earnest in a sentence
The priest will always give you an earnest answer.
Amber cannot win the fight against alcohol because she is not making an earnest attempt to stay sober.
When the teacher viewed the test grades, she could tell her students had not studied in earnest for the exam.
