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Earnest vs Precocious - What's the difference?

earnest | precocious |

As a proper noun earnest

is , an occasional spelling variant of ernest.

As an adjective precocious is

characterized by exceptionally early development or maturity.

earnest

English

Etymology 1

From (etyl) ernest, eornest, from (etyl) eornest, eornost, .

Noun

(-)
  • Gravity; serious purpose; earnestness.
  • * Sir Philip Sidney
    • Take heed that this jest do not one day turn to earnest .
  • * Shakespeare
    • given in earnest what I begged in jest
  • Seriousness; reality; actuality (as opposed to jesting or feigned appearance); fixed determination; eagerness; intentness.
    • Derived terms
    * earnestful * in earnest

    Verb

    (en verb)
  • To be serious with; use in earnest.
  • * 1602 , Pastor Fido:
    • Let's prove among ourselves our armes in jest, That when we come to earnest them with men, We may them better use.

    Etymology 2

    From (etyl) eornest, from (etyl) .

    Adjective

    (en-adj)
  • Serious in speech or action; eager; urgent; importunate; pressing; instant.
  • Ardent in the pursuit of an object; eager to obtain or do; zealous with sincerity; with hearty endeavour; heartfelt; fervent; hearty; — used in a good sense; as, earnest prayers .
  • Intent; fixed closely; as, earnest attention .
  • Possessing or characterised by seriousness; strongly bent; intent.
    • an earnest disposition
  • Strenuous; diligent.
    • earnest efforts
  • Serious; weighty; of a serious, weighty, or important nature; not trifling or feigned; important.
    • Derived terms
    * (l) * (l)

    Etymology 3

    Of uncertain origin; apparently related to (erres). Compare also (l).

    Noun

    (en noun)
  • A sum of money paid in advance as a deposit; hence, a pledge, a guarantee, an indication of something to come.
  • * 1990 , (Peter Hopkirk), The Great Game , Folio Society 2010, p. 365:
    • But if all this was viewed by Gladstone and the Cabinet as an earnest of St Petersburg's future good intentions in Central Asia, then disillusionment was soon to follow.

    See also

    * Earnest * earnest money

    Anagrams

    * * * *

    precocious

    English

    Adjective

    (en adjective)
  • Characterized by exceptionally early development or maturity.
  • * {{quote-news, year=2014
    • , date=November 14 , author=Stephen Halliday , title=Scotland 1-0 Republic of Ireland: Maloney the hero , work=The Scotsman citation , page= , passage=Scotland’s most encouraging early source of an attacking threat was Andrew Robertson as the precocious left-back charged forward to good effect on a couple of occasions. }}
  • *
    • Both groups, also, have already evolved precocious (intracapsular) spore germination.
  • Exhibiting advanced skills at an abnormally early age.
    • The precocious child began reading the newspaper at age four.

    Quotations

    * 1964 , , “Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious”, Mary Poppins , Walt Disney *: Mary: Even though the sound of it is something quite atrocious / If you say it loud enough you'll always sound precocious

    Synonyms

    * tranty

    Antonyms

    * altricious * serotinous

    See also

    * prodigy

    External links

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