All 4 Uses of
earnest
in
A Christmas Carol, by Charles Dickens
- To hear Scrooge expending all the earnestness of his nature on such subjects, in a most extraordinary voice between laughing and crying; and to see his heightened and excited face; would have been a surprise to his business friends in the city, indeed.†
p. 38.6earnestness = sincerity or seriousness
- They are always in earnest.†
p. 81.6in earnest = serious; or in a serious manner
- "No, no," said Scrooge, "I am in earnest."
p. 120.5 *in earnest = serious
- "A merry Christmas, Bob!" said Scrooge, with an earnestness that could not be mistaken, as he clapped him on the back.†
p. 125.8earnestness = sincerity or seriousness
Definitions:
-
(1)
(earnest) characterized by sincere belief
or:
intensely or excessively serious or determined -
(2)
(meaning too rare to warrant focus) meaning too rare to warrant focus:
Earnest can also be used as a name (variant spelling of Ernest), or to signify the seriousness of a pledge made (as when earnest money is included with an offer to purchase a home).