in earnest

1. With purposeful or sincere intent, as in We settled down to study in earnest . [c. a.d. 1000]

2. 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

The term appears to date back to the ‘50s, but the big sales events didn’t start in earnest until the ‘90s.

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Military support groups are starting to talk in earnest, offering counseling and advice on what to do when faced with illegal order situations.

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For some reason this was what pushed her “over the edge,” as they say nowadays, and she began to cry in earnest.

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Instead of answering these questions directly, Madame finished her meal and announced her pressing need for a glass of sherry and a meditative nap, so she might commune with the spirits in earnest.

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After a career in aerospace, he began organizing in earnest in the 1990s, aligning with groups such as the Natural Resources Defense Council and Coalition for Clean Air to oppose port expansion projects.

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Related Words

• actively 
• earnestly 
• passionately 
• sincerely 
• vigorously