in earnest
Idioms-
With purposeful or sincere intent, as in We settled down to study in earnest . [c. a.d. 1000]
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Also, in dead earnest . Serious, determined, as in We thought he was joking, but he was in earnest , or I'm in dead earnest about selling the business . In the variant, from the late 1800s, dead means “completely” or “thoroughly” and is used purely for emphasis. [c. a.d. 1000]
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Corporate earnings season begins again in earnest this week, starting with the big banks and followed up later by major tech companies.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 12, 2026
It started to build its stake in earnest last year, disclosing a 7% stake in the car rental company in May.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 23, 2026
If petrol prices start dropping in earnest, it could be a tangible sign for Americans that things are getting better.
From BBC ● Jun. 15, 2026
It offers eternal love, betrayal, regret and redemption, in earnest if not always logical fashion.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 9, 2026
The next morning, Watson and Crick raced down to the lab and started model building in earnest.
From "The Gene" by Siddhartha Mukherjee
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
