All 5 Uses

earnest
in
Message in a Bottle, by Sparks
(Auto-generated)

She could hear an absolute earnestness in the caller's voice.
Chpt 3 *

earnestness = sincerity or seriousness
"Garrett, this is delicious," she said earnestly.†
Chpt 8

earnestly = sincerely or seriously
I'm going to miss having you here," he said as she started to cry in earnest.†
Chpt 9

in earnest = serious; or in a serious manner
"Please," he said again, giving her his most earnest smile.†
Chpt 10

earnest = sincere or serious
I'm looking forward to seeing you again," he said earnestly.†
Chpt 11

earnestly = sincerely or seriously

Definitions:

(1) (earnest)
characterized by sincere belief

or:

intensely or excessively serious or determined
(2) (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).