What's the difference between dear and earnest?

Dear


Definition:

  • (superl.) Bearing a high price; high-priced; costly; expensive.
  • (superl.) Marked by scarcity or dearth, and exorbitance of price; as, a dear year.
  • (superl.) Highly valued; greatly beloved; cherished; precious.
  • (superl.) Hence, close to the heart; heartfelt; present in mind; engaging the attention.
  • (superl.) Of agreeable things and interests.
  • (superl.) Of disagreeable things and antipathies.
  • (n.) A dear one; lover; sweetheart.
  • (adv.) Dearly; at a high price.
  • (v. t.) To endear.

Example Sentences:

  • (1) David Cameron was accused of revealing his ill-suppressed Bullingdon Club instincts when he shouted at the Labour frontbencher Angela Eagle to "calm down, dear" as she berated him for misleading MPs at prime minister's questions.
  • (2) There is a heavy, leaden feeling in your chest, rather as when someone you love dearly has died; but no one has – except, perhaps, you.
  • (3) Here is my email to Dr Hansen on 18 June: Dear Mr. Hansen, Thanks for calling.
  • (4) Three dead after gunman storms Planned Parenthood clinic in Colorado Read more Robert Lewis Dear, a 57-year-old from North Carolina, has been named as the suspected gunman behind a standoff at a Planned Parenthood health clinic in which three people died and nine were injured .
  • (5) FULL TEXT OF THE LETTER From: Cleo Watson Date: 29 March 2016 at 13:36:03 BST To: undisclosed-recipients:; Subject: Urgent call: Doctors Dear Colleagues I hope you have had a restful Easter.
  • (6) His first film appearances had included Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger's The Small Back Room, and the comedy Dear Mr Prohack (both 1949), the latter adapted from an Arnold Bennett novel.
  • (7) He fears that "this is a time when much that we hold dear about our profession and our NHS is deeply threatened".
  • (8) The Dear Deidre column will lose some of its sex focus to tackle more family-oriented issues at the weekend.
  • (9) The general secretary of the National Union of Journalists, Jeremy Dear, said the union would oppose cuts, with industrial action if necessary.
  • (10) May 2 1997 Labour is elected with a manifesto committed to leaving the door open for tuition fees: "the costs of student maintenance should be repaid by graduates on an income-related basis ..." July 23 1997 The Dearing report is published.
  • (11) "Dear chief secretary, I am afraid to tell you that there is no money left".
  • (12) Revolutionary forces also distributed leaflets at checkpoints leading into the city that read, "Dear Muslims, avoid God's wrath.
  • (13) The comedian Stephen Mangan called Cameron’s warning “panicky” and “daft”, while another comedian, Vikki Stone, shared a picture of herself hiding in the shed with a colander on her head and said: “Dear David Cameron I’m frightened.
  • (14) The email, beginning "dear colleagues", says the MPs' report "affords us a unique opportunity to reflect upon the mistakes we have made and further the course we have already completed to correct them.
  • (15) Dear Federal Reserve: stop waiting for the 'perfect' time to raise rates and just do it Read more These days the Fed is a lot more cautious.
  • (16) We love you.” Another starts: “Dear Polish friends, we wanted to let you know how very sorry we are to hear about the abusive messages graffitied on to your building.
  • (17) Photograph: Paula Dear Camping in Bolivia is still a low key affair but there’s a growing network of quality sites in popular areas such as Sorata , Samaipata , Coroico and La Paz.
  • (18) The Oscar-winning director, who made his National Theatre debut two years ago to much acclaim with Nick Dear's adaptation of Frankenstein , has told the Telegraph he won't be applying for the artistic director's position , which comes free in 2015.
  • (19) Songwriter Dan Bull urged BBC bosses in Dear Auntie (An Open Letter to the BBC) : "You need to appeal to the people that feel John Peel, and want to keep it real.
  • (20) Dear British public, be outraged, act, withhold your money until you can have confidence in what you consume.

Earnest


Definition:

  • (n.) Seriousness; reality; fixed determination; eagerness; intentness.
  • (a.) Ardent in the pursuit of an object; eager to obtain or do; zealous with sincerity; with hearty endeavor; heartfelt; fervent; hearty; -- used in a good sense; as, earnest prayers.
  • (a.) Intent; fixed closely; as, earnest attention.
  • (a.) Serious; important.
  • (v. t.) To use in earnest.
  • (n.) Something given, or a part paid beforehand, as a pledge; pledge; handsel; a token of what is to come.
  • (n.) Something of value given by the buyer to the seller, by way of token or pledge, to bind the bargain and prove the sale.

Example Sentences:

  • (1) "For a better world, not only for the Iranian people but for the next generation across the globe, I earnestly hope that President Rouhani will receive a warm welcome and meaningful responses during his visit to the UN."
  • (2) Tragedy was averted because there was a little delay as the prayers did not commence in earnest and the bomb strapped to the body of the girl went off and killed her,” he added.
  • (3) However, despite repeated questions from reporters, Earnest did not rule out Obama approving fast-track without TAA if that combination somehow made it through procedural hurdles in the Senate.
  • (4) There's something very earnest about the build up to this MLS Cup final, as if the battle on the field between Sporting Kansas City and Real Salt Lake starts with a competition to see which team can "respect" the other one more fiercely.
  • (5) But at the same time, there is an earnest side to it all.
  • (6) Earnest confirmed some departures were likely as “members of the president’s staff to use the opportunity of the election” to leave the White House and “sort of engage in a transition”, but he rejected suggestions of a cull of big names.
  • (7) This begins in earnest after the 6-week assessment, which can provide information on which to base an exercise prescription.
  • (8) While Obama said in a written statement that he was “deeply disturbed” by the footage of Laquan’s shooting, spokesman Josh Earnest was reluctant to criticize Emanuel’s handling of the situation when pressed by reporters last week on whether the mayor should resign.
  • (9) Dean Garfield, president and CEO of tech business lobbying group and thinktank the Information Technology Industry Council, opened his address to the US-China Internet Industry Forum (where Xi was in attendance) in Silicon Valley on Wednesday thus: “We live in a world where the list of societal challenges is long, and getting longer, but where the collective collaboration between the United States and China is just, say, suboptimal.” Earnest said further that talk from Chinese officials on this subject was cheap.
  • (10) We believe that an open society with the highest possible degree of autonomy, and governed by the rule of law, is essential for Hong Kong’s stability and prosperity,” spokesman Josh Earnest said.
  • (11) Lobbying for the job of BBC director general of the BBC is expected to begin in earnest following MediaGuardian's revelation late on Thursday that Thompson was planning to step down at the end of the year or the beginning of 2013.
  • (12) International monitoring of the ICIDH has begun in earnest.
  • (13) Yet, there is no doubt that All Star has been targeted for its specific qualities – the main ones being its feelgood nostalgia value and a laughably exuberant pop-punk style that feels totally earnest.
  • (14) Earnest insisted that a review into the delivery of aid to Egypt had not yet concluded, and said it was "inaccurate to suggest that we've cut off aid to Egypt".
  • (15) I wouldn’t rule out the possibility of an endorsement [by Obama] in the Democratic primary,” White House press secretary Josh Earnest said in late August.
  • (16) Earnest, outlining Obama’s longstanding thinking about launching new air strikes in Iraq, noted that protecting US personnel was a core concern for the US president.
  • (17) I was asked to do it, but I thought it would be difficult to stay out of the fight on this, given that I really …” The Guardian view on Labour and Europe: voice of the nation time | Editorial Read more Johnson interrupts himself whenever he feels in danger of saying something that might sound too earnest.
  • (18) To the sound of an acoustic guitar and an earnest vocal, it opens with footage of a lonely Ed Miliband, wandering the dark, deserted streets of Westminster.
  • (19) Saying that he did not know more about the data destruction beyond what has been reported, Earnest said it was "hard for me to evaluate the propriety of that."
  • (20) White House press secretary Josh Earnest framed Clancy’s appointment as “in some ways the best of both worlds”.