Closest to seeming unusually earnest (7)

I believe the answer is:

nearest

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'closest to' is the definition.
(I've seen this before)

'unusually earnest' is the wordplay.
'unusually' indicates anagramming the letters.
'earnest' with letters rearranged gives 'NEAREST'.

'seeming' acts as a link.
I am not very happy about this link. It may belong to another bit of the clue.

Can you help me to learn more?

(Other definitions for nearest that I've seen before include "Most approximate" , "Next" , "Stingiest" , "Most adjacent" , "Eastern (anag)" .)

I've seen this clue in the Evening Standard.

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