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The state or quality of being earnest; intentness; anxiety. An honest earnestness in the young man's manner. W. Irving.

To discuss with great earnestness; to debate; as, a controversy hotly agitated. Boyle.

To prepare for action; to apply with vigor and earnestness; -- generally used reflexively. Cartwright buckled himself to the employment. Fuller.

To ask with earnestness or importunity; to ask with submission or humility; to beg; to entreat; to beseech; to implore. I crave your honor's pardon. Shak. Joseph . . . went in boldly unto Pilate, and craved the body of Jesus. Mark xv. 43.

The state of being deeply interested; earnestness; zeal.

To cry out from earnestness or passion; to utter with vehemence; to call out or declare loudly; to protest vehemently; to vociferate; to shout; as, to exclaim against oppression with wonder or astonishment; "The field is won!" he exclaimed.

Intensity of feeling or expression; glowing ardor; passion; holy zeal; earnestness. Hooker. Winged with fervor of her love. Shak.

Intense excitement or earnestness; vehemence or heat of passion; ardor. The red glow of scorn. Shak.

Earnestness; sincerity; heartiness. [R.] Clarendon.

State of indifference; want of interest or earnestness; especially, a systematic apathy regarding what is true or false in religion or philosophy; agnosticism. The indifferentism which equalizes all religions and gives equal rights to truth and error. Cardinal Manning.

nd toward of the mind toward an object; closeness of application; fixedness of attention; earnestness. Intention is when the mind, with great earnestness, and of choice, fixes its view on any idea. Locke.

Heartiness; earnestness. What was wanted was more inwardness, more feeling. M. Arnold.

Lack of gravity and earnestness in deportment or character; trifling gayety; frivolity; sportiveness; vanity. " A spirit of levity and libertinism." Atterbury. He never employed his omnipotence out of levity. Calamy.

Full of earnestness; active; wide awake; glowing; as, a live man, or orator.

In a mighty manner; with might; with great earnestness; vigorously; powerfully. Whereunto I also labor, striving according to his working, which worketh in me mightily. Col. i. 29.

ding, and exposing to contempt, by mimicry, by insincere imitation, or by a false show of earnestness; a counterfeit appearance. It is, as the air, invulnerable, And our vain blows malicious mockery. Shak. Grace at meals is now generally so performed as to look more like a mockery upon devotion than any solemn applicat…

Importunity; earnestness. [Obs.] Jer. Taylor.

To make request with earnestness or zeal, as for something desired; to make entreaty or supplication; to offer prayer to a deity or divine being as a religious act; specifically, to address the Supreme Being with adoration, confession, supplication, and thanksgiving. And to his goddess pitously he preyde. Chaucer. When…

To inculcate in public discourse; to urge with earnestness by public teaching. "I have preached righteousness in the great congregation." Ps. xl. 9.

One who inculcates anything with earnestness. No preacher is listened to but Time. Swift. Preacher bird (Zoöl.), a toucan.