Definitions

in earnest

Part of Speech:

All (2) Adjective (1) Adverb (1)

Jump To:

sobersided adj.
seriously adv.

ADJECTIVE

sobersided

Synonyms

WEAK

austere bound bound and determined businesslike cold sober contemplative deadpan deliberate determined downbeat earnest funereal genuine go for broke grave grim honest intent long-faced meditative no-nonsense pensive pokerfaced reflective resolute resolved sedate set severe sincere sober solemn staid steady stern thoughtful unhumorous unsmiling weighty

ADVERB

seriously

Synonyms

STRONGEST

actively earnestly passionately sincerely vigorously

STRONG

gravely

WEAK

all joking aside cool it cut the comedy determinedly down fervently for real in all conscience in all seriousness intently purposefully resolutely sedately simmer down soberly solemnly sternly straighten out thoughtfully with a straight face with forethought with sobriety zealously

Antonyms

WEAK

casually funnily lightly minor trivially

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.

See Examples For:

in earnest

The arm-wrestling will kick off in earnest at a Brussels summit in October, with a likely second meeting in November, before a grand finale in December when leaders will look to seal the deal.

From Barron's ● Aug. 27, 2026

Nvidia’s quarterly earnings announcement has been a major stock-market event ever since the artificial-intelligence boom began in earnest with the introduction of ChatGPT in late 2022.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 25, 2026

The new era does not begin in earnest until Stephen Fleming takes up his post as coach in the winter.

From BBC ● Aug. 19, 2026

That began to change in earnest around June, according to Pereyra.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 18, 2026

I pondered Horatio’s question in earnest, for this was a chance to talk of love like the noble ladies in Castiglione’s Book of the Courtier.

From "Ophelia" by Lisa Klein

in earnest

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

Related Words