| Main Entry: | earnest |
| Part of Speech: | adjective |
| Definition: | very enthusiastic |
Synonyms: |
ardent, busy, devoted, diligent, eager, fervent, fervid, heartfelt, impassioned, industrious, keen, passionate, perseverant, purposeful, sedulous, sincere, urgent, vehement, warm, wholehearted, zealous |
Antonyms: |
flippant, unconcerned, unenthusiastic, unpassionate, unpurposeful, unthoughtful |
| Main Entry: | earnest |
| Part of Speech: | adjective |
| Definition: | serious; very important |
Synonyms: |
close, constant, determined, firm, fixed, for real, grave, intent, mean business, meaningful, no-fooling, no-nonsense, playing hard ball, resolute, resolved, sedate, sincere, sober, solemn, somber, stable, staid, steady, thoughtful, weighty |
Antonyms: |
flippant, insincere, thoughtless, trivial, unimportant, unserious |
| Main Entry: | ambitious |
| Part of Speech: | adjective |
| Definition: | desiring success |
Synonyms: |
aggressive, anxious, ardent, aspiring, avid, ball of fire, bent upon, climbing, come on, come on strong, designing, desirous, determined, driving, eager, eager beaver, earnest, energetic, enterprising, enthusiastic, fireball, get up and go, go-getter, goal-oriented, hard ball, high-reaching, hopeful, hungry, industrious, inspired, intent, longing, power-loving, purposeful, pushing, pushy*, resourceful, self-starting, sharp, soaring, striving, thirsty, vaulting, zealous |
Antonyms: |
content, fulfilled, satisfied, unassuming |
| Main Entry: | austere |
| Part of Speech: | adjective |
| Definition: | severe in manner |
Synonyms: |
ascetic, astringent, cold, earnest, exacting, forbidding, formal, grave, grim, hard, harsh, inexorable, inflexible, obdurate, rigid, rigorous, serious, sober, solemn, somber, stern, stiff, strict, stringent, unfeeling, unrelenting |
Antonyms: |
bland, calm, gentle, meek, mild |
| Main Entry: | burning |
| Part of Speech: | adjective |
| Definition: | fervent, excited |
Synonyms: |
all-consuming, ardent, blazing, eager, earnest, fervid, feverish, frantic, frenzied, heated, hectic, impassioned, intense, passionate, red-hot, vehement, white-hot, zealous |
Antonyms: |
apathetic, cold, cool, unexcited, unimportant |
| Main Entry: | businesslike |
| Part of Speech: | adjective |
| Definition: | efficient, professional |
Synonyms: |
accomplished, careful, concentrated, correct, diligent, direct, disciplined, earnest, effective, enterprising, expeditious, hardworking, industrious, intent, matter-of-fact, methodical, orderly, organized, painstaking, practical, practiced, purposeful, regular, routine, sedulous, serious, skillful, systematic, thorough, well-ordered, workaday |
Antonyms: |
amateur, disorganized, inefficient, unbusinesslike, unprofessional |
| Main Entry: | cordial |
| Part of Speech: | adjective |
| Definition: | friendly, sociable |
Synonyms: |
affable, affectionate, agreeable, amicable, buddy-buddy, cheerful, clubby, companionable, congenial, convivial, cozy, earnest, genial, glowing, gracious, happy, heart-to-heart, heartfelt, hearty, invigorating, jovial, mellow, neighborly, palsy-walsy, polite, red-carpet, responsive, sincere, social, sympathetic, tender, warm, warmhearted, welcoming, wholehearted |
Antonyms: |
aloof, cool, disagreeable, hostile, indifferent, inhospitable, uncordial, unfriendly, unpleasant, unsociable |
| Main Entry: | decided |
| Part of Speech: | adjective |
| Definition: | determined, strong-willed |
Synonyms: |
assertive, bent, certain, cocksure, decisive, deliberate, earnest, emphatic, established, firm, fixed, inflexible, intent, iron-jawed, mulish, positive, purposeful, resolute, resolved, serious, set, settled, strong-minded, sure, unbending, unfaltering, unhesitating, unwavering, unyielding |
| Notes: | decided means recognizable, marked, unmistakable or definite, while decisive means having the power to determine an outcome or being conclusive |
Antonyms: |
deferential, delaying, hesitant, postponing, procrastinating, undecided |
| Main Entry: | demure |
| Part of Speech: | adjective |
| Definition: | reserved, affected |
Synonyms: |
backward, bashful, blushing, close, coy, decorous, diffident, earnest, humble, modest, nice, prim, prissy, proper, prudish, reticent, retiring, sedate, serious, shy, silent, skittish, sober, solemn, staid, strait-laced, timid, unassertive, unassuming, unassured |
Antonyms: |
aggressive, bold, extroverted, outgoing, shameless, strong |
| Main Entry: | determined |
| Part of Speech: | adjective |
| Definition: | driven, persistent |
Synonyms: |
bent, bent on, buckled down, constant, decided, decisive, dogged, earnest, firm, fixed, hard-as-nails, hardboiled, intent, mean business, obstinate, on ice, pat, persevering, purposeful, resolute, resolved, serious, set, set on, settled, single-minded, solid, steadfast, strong-minded, strong-willed, stubborn, tenacious, unfaltering, unflinching, unhesitating, unwavering |
Antonyms: |
flexible, hesitating, irresolute, vacillating, wavering, weak |