2earnest noun
Meaning:
in earnest 1 : in an earnest or serious way
▪ The search began in earnest when the police arrived. ▪ It began to rain in earnest [=heavily] in the evening. ▪ It's hard to tell if he's making this proposal in earnest. 2 : not fooling : serious and sincere
▪ We thought he was joking at first, but then we realized that he was in earnest. [=he was being serious] — compare for real at 1real
▪ The search began in earnest when the police arrived. ▪ It began to rain in earnest [=heavily] in the evening. ▪ It's hard to tell if he's making this proposal in earnest.
▪ We thought he was joking at first, but then we realized that he was in earnest. [=he was being serious] — compare for real at 1real
