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

The modern Halloween traditions, like trick-or-treating in costumes, began in earnest in the late 1890s. —Kara Nesvig, Parents, 23 Oct. 2025

Brown is now beginning efforts reshape 3M in earnest. —Bloomberg, Twin Cities, 22 Oct. 2025

The move follows in the footsteps of the Roku Channel, which began launching creator FAST channels in earnest in 2013, with content from the ever-popular MrBeast as well as creators including HotOnes, Rhett & Link of Mythical Entertainmentand the YouTuber Unspeakable. —Caitlin Huston, HollywoodReporter, 21 Oct. 2025

The mayhem began in earnest when Yachty took the stage and the back of the crowd pushed forward. —Jennah Pendleton, Sacbee.com, 21 Oct. 2025

Rhymes for in earnest

• internist
• sternest