Desecration of nearest grave (7)

I believe the answer is:

earnest

I'm a little stuck... Click here to teach me more about this clue!

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

'desecration of nearest' is the wordplay.
'nearest' can be anagrammed to 'EARNEST'.
However, I'm unsure how this is indicated.

Can you help me to learn more?

(Other definitions for earnest that I've seen before include "guarantee" , "Fixed" , "Impassioned" , "Intensely serious; token" , "Something of value to bind a contract" .)

I've seen this clue in The Telegraph.

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