in earnest
English
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Written by a house AI from the entry below, in your language. The entry itself is the source.
in earnest
Where it comes from
Dates back at least to Old English on eornost, of the same meaning of the adverbial sense below.
adjective
- Sincere; determined; truthful. "I wasn't in earnest. I only brought it in joke."
adverb more in earnest · most in earnest
- With considerable commitment, determination, or effect; significantly. It's snowing in earnest right now.
- Having a sincere intent. (of a person) He was talking in earnest, even though his speech carried an ironic tone.
Translations
Every language
adv with considerable commitment, determination, or effect
| Español | sinceramente |
|---|---|
| 中文 | 認真地 /认真地 rènzhēn de |
| Português | seriamente, a sério |
| Français | sérieusement |
| Deutsch | ernsthaft |
| Italiano | sul serio |
| Русский | всерьёз vserʹjóz |
adv having a sincere intent
| 中文 | 真誠的 /真诚的 zhēnchéng de |
|---|---|
| Português | sinceramente |
| Français | sincèrement |
Talk about this word "in earnest." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/in%20earnest. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026. in earnest. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/in%20earnest "in earnest." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/in%20earnest.Cite this
@misc{in_earnest_2026,
title = {in earnest},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/in%20earnest},
urldate = {2026-11-06}
}
