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

From a recruiting standpoint, the reality of that ruling starts to hit home in earnest on Aug. 1, the first day that college football programs can extend rev-share contract offers to prospects entering their senior year of high school. —Antonio Morales, New York Times, 31 July 2025

With Harris — along with her near-universal name ID and huge fundraising network — out of the picture, the gubernatorial campaign can begin in earnest for other candidates. —Nicole Nixon july 30, Sacbee.com, 30 July 2025

There were also some internal agentic use cases that can accomplish mundane and repetitive tasks, which is where much of the focus on AI agents has been since companies started to embrace the technology in earnest earlier this year. —John Kell, Fortune, 30 July 2025

Mortgage and rent assistance from the state began in earnest with the onset of the coronavirus pandemic. —Steve Sadin, Chicago Tribune, 29 July 2025

Rhymes for in earnest

• internist
• sternest