Crossword Genius

Dedicated a Sterne novel (7)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

earnest

'dedicated' is the definition.
(thesaurus)

'a sterne novel' is the wordplay.
'novel' indicates anagramming the letters (letters in a new or novel order).
'a'+'sterne'='asterne'
'asterne' with letters rearranged gives 'EARNEST'.

(Other definitions for earnest that I've seen before include "showing seriousness" , "'Heartfelt, sincere (7)'" , "Serious - advance" , "promise" , "money involved in contract" .)

I've seen this clue in The Telegraph, The Guardian and The Globe and Mail.
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