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

Few people outside the tech community knew the story in earnest. — Andrew McGowan, Fortune, 13 Oct. 2026

Reporting season will ramp up in earnest this week with the big banks, with Bank of America, Citigroup, Goldman Sachs, JPMorgan Chase, Morgan Stanley and Wells Fargo all expected to post results this week. — Leonie Kidd, CNBC, 12 Oct. 2026

That unique gallery purchased the building in 2018 for $3 million, but officials there didn’t begin planning its future in earnest until Cap City vacated its lease and closed in July 2025. — John Wenzel, Denver Post, 11 Oct. 2026

Mass Ukrainian drone strikes on Russian refineries began in earnest in August last year, according to data compiled by Tochnyi, an independent Ukrainian open source research group. — Jarrett Ley, Washington Post, 9 Oct. 2026

Rhymes for in earnest

• internist
• sternest