in earnest

phrase

1

: in an earnest or serious way

The search began in earnest when the police arrived.

After light showers during the day, it began to rain in earnest in the evening.

It's hard to tell if he's making this proposal in earnest.

2

: not fooling : serious and sincere

We thought he was joking at first, but then we realized that he was in earnest.

Examples of in earnest in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Portland’s women’s sporting epicenter Lisa believes her family’s years in the fashion industry gave her and her brother a premonition about the rise of women’s sports years before the NWSL and WNBA would take off in earnest. — Sasha Rogelberg, Fortune, 6 Sep. 2026

Saturday in Atlanta, the latest coach from Auburn to attempt to overthrow the reign of Kirby Smart and Georgia will begin his term in earnest. — Ken Sugiura, AJC.com, 4 Sep. 2026

The event comes just after Labor Day, as the campaign season kicks off in earnest, requiring candidates to take time away from talking to voters less than two months before Election Day. — Joey Garrison, USA Today, 3 Sep. 2026

And on Thursday that mission—BepiColombo, a joint operation of the European Space Agency (ESA) and the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA)—took a critical step closer to beginning in earnest. — Adam Kovac, Scientific American, 3 Sep. 2026

Rhymes for in earnest

• internist
• sternest