Earnest
Earnest noun - A mental state free of jesting or trifling.
Usage example: I am in deadly earnest about this marriage proposal
Nearby Words: earnestness, earnestly
Play
Play noun - An attitude or manner not to be taken seriously.
Usage example: I didn't mean to insult anyone, for it was all just play
Both words in one sentence
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Historical, or appropriate futuristic or fantasy, settings can still play this in earnest, particularly among the elite.
Source: Glove Slap -
Deponia Doomsday introduces the concept in earnest and manages to play with nearly every single main time travel trope in the book.
Source: Video Game / Deponia -
Suárez then began to seriously train in earnest, and eventually became a world class player, and went to play in Europe just to find and marry this girl.
Source: Childhood Friend Romance
Cite this Source
Play and Earnest. (2016). Retrieved 2026, August 08, from https://thesaurus.plus/related/earnest/play
Earnest & Play. N.p., 2016. Web. 08 Aug. 2026. <https://thesaurus.plus/related/earnest/play>.
Play or Earnest. 2016. Accessed August 08, 2026. https://thesaurus.plus/related/earnest/play.
Google Ngram Viewer shows how "earnest" and "play" have occurred on timeline