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Earnest vs Vulnerable - What's the difference?

earnest | vulnerable |

As adjectives the difference between earnest and vulnerable

is that earnest is serious in speech or action; eager; urgent; importunate; pressing; instant while vulnerable is more or most likely to be exposed to the chance of being attacked or harmed, either physically or emotionally.

As a noun earnest

is gravity; serious purpose; earnestness.

As a verb earnest

is to be serious with; use in earnest.

As a proper noun Earnest

is a given name derived from Germanic, an occasional spelling variant of Ernest.

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

    * * * *

    vulnerable

    English

    Adjective

    (en adjective)
  • More or most likely to be exposed to the chance of being attacked or harmed, either physically or emotionally.
  • * {{quote-news, year=2012, date=June 29, author=Kevin Mitchell, work=the Guardian
    • , title= Roger Federer back from Wimbledon 2012 brink to beat Julien Benneteau , passage=The elimination of Federer after Nadal's loss to Lukas Rosol would have created mild panic among the fans of these gloriously gifted but now clearly vulnerable geniuses. }}
  • * {{quote-magazine, date=2013-07-19, author= Mark Tran
    • , volume=189, issue=6, page=1, magazine=(The Guardian Weekly) , title= Denied an education by war , passage=One particularly damaging, but often ignored, effect of conflict on education is the proliferation of attacks on schools
  • (computing) More likely to be exposed to malicious programs or viruses.

    • Synonyms

    * (exposed to attack) defenceless, helpless, powerless, unguarded, unprotected, weak

    Antonyms

    * (exposed to attack) durable, indomitable, invincible, invulnerable, powerful, strong

    Derived terms

    * vulnerability * vulnerably