ear·nest
adjective/ˈɜːnɪst/
/ˈɜːrnɪst/
Idioms - very serious and sincere
非常认真的；真诚的 - an earnest young man
非常认真的年轻人 - Despite her earnest efforts, she could not find a job.
尽管她已尽心竭力，但是仍然找不到工作。 - When I looked over, he was in earnest conversation with his father.
我回头一看，他正在和父亲认真地交谈。 - She was nice enough, but perhaps a little too earnest.
她人很好，但也许有点太认真了。
Oxford Collocations DictionaryEarnest is used with these nouns:- desire
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Word OriginOld English eornoste (adjective), eornost (noun), of Germanic origin; related to German Ernst (noun). - an earnest young man
Idioms
in earnest
- more seriously and with more force or effort than before
（更加）严肃地，认真地，坚定地 - The work on the house will begin in earnest on Monday.
这栋房子的修建工作将在星期一正式开始。 - That was when our troubles started in earnest.
就在那时，我们的麻烦真正开始了。
- The work on the house will begin in earnest on Monday.
- very serious and sincere about what you are saying and about your intentions; in a way that shows that you are serious
郑重其事；当真 - You may laugh but I'm in deadly earnest.
你可以笑，不过我可是正经八百的。 - I could tell she spoke in earnest.
我看得出她是郑重其事地说的。
- You may laugh but I'm in deadly earnest.