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.
“It’s been in my mind since last year, and at the beginning of this year, I started — in earnest — putting something together,” Milgrom says.
From Los Angeles Times • May 19, 2026
U.S. crude prices have averaged almost $99 a barrel since April 1, up 59% from the year-earlier period, and there are few signs energy shipments are beginning to move in earnest through the Persian Gulf.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 17, 2026
Gomez said the administration’s attacks on the network began in earnest with a defamation lawsuit against the network and “Good Morning America” anchor George Stephanopoulos that ABC settled for $16 million, including legal fees.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 11, 2026
The term Flower Moon is thought to be a reference to the fact that May is when flowers begin to bloom in earnest with spring well and truly in full swing.
From BBC • Apr. 30, 2026
The top-drawer business had preyed on his mind till he had determined to be un-gentlemanly in earnest, if everybody accused him of being so.
From "The Once and Future King" by T. H. White
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.
