in earnest

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.

Equity-only put-call ratios continue to climb, as put buying has accompanied the selling that began in earnest last Friday.

From MarketWatch • Jun. 11, 2026

Simply put, a lot of people need to be convinced before the AI revolution can happen in earnest.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 7, 2026

McKinney only started campaigning in earnest five weeks ago, but managed to win votes with a tough-on-crime campaign — even as some categories of city crime have dipped to historic lows.

From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 5, 2026

He graduated high school early to begin his career in earnest, and he signed with Hendrick Motorsports in 2003.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 21, 2026

“The idea of being afraid of you! Well, you see we used to play Pilgrim’s Progress, and we have been going on with it in earnest, all winter and summer.”

From "Little Women" by Louisa May Alcott

in earnest

Example Sentences

Related Words