earnestly
adverb
ear·nest·ly
ˈər-nəst-lē 
: 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
Louise ErdrichThey sing contemporary R&B earnestly, like they borrowed it and want to return it in better condition than when they got it.—Danyel Smith
Danyel SmithExamples of earnestly in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
While President's Trump nominee for Consumer Financial Protection Bureau director, Jonathan McKernan, was earnestly taking questions from senators about the job on Thursday, the agency made some other news.
—Emily Peck, Axios, 28 Feb. 2025
But the non-binding hold of Thoth – whether believed earnestly or ironically – paradoxically provides the cover to take a risk.
—Jonathon Keats, Forbes, 28 Feb. 2025
The series seems most earnestly interested in the bonds between the central foursome — particularly the budding romance between Brett and Alice, the Jim and Pam of Grosse Pointe.
—Angie Han, The Hollywood Reporter, 23 Feb. 2025
Melvin appeared earnestly surprised when reporters took out their phones to post the news to social media.
—Andrew Baggarly, The Athletic, 22 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for earnestly
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Emily Peck, Axios, 28 Feb. 2025
But the non-binding hold of Thoth – whether believed earnestly or ironically – paradoxically provides the cover to take a risk.
—Jonathon Keats, Forbes, 28 Feb. 2025
The series seems most earnestly interested in the bonds between the central foursome — particularly the budding romance between Brett and Alice, the Jim and Pam of Grosse Pointe.
—Angie Han, The Hollywood Reporter, 23 Feb. 2025
Melvin appeared earnestly surprised when reporters took out their phones to post the news to social media.
—Andrew Baggarly, The Athletic, 22 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for earnestly
Cite this Entry
“Earnestly.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/earnestly. Accessed 13 Mar. 2025.
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