in earnest

idiom

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

And, for the savvy bettor, that can mean scooping up favorable futures odds on the NCAA champion market before the games begin in earnest. —Jim Root, New York Times, 3 Nov. 2025

Hahn and Jeff Glaid, the WGFD biologist who conducted the study, told a room full of anglers in 2024 that if regulations didn’t change, and hooking injuries to fish — like bottom jaws torn off and severe scarring — continued, the department would have to start restocking in earnest. —Christine Peterson, Outdoor Life, 30 Oct. 2025

By all means, this committee should aim to commemorate the freeing of slaves, Moore acknowledged, once the nationalists had taken over in earnest. —Literary Hub, 28 Oct. 2025

After many years of discussion, the Volkswagen ID Buzz arrived in North America in June 2023 but began its return in earnest in 2024. —James Raia, Mercury News, 26 Oct. 2025

Rhymes for in earnest

• internist
• sternest