IN EARNEST Definition & Meaning

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in earnest

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]
With purposeful or sincere intent, as in We settled down to study in earnest . [c. a.d. 1000]

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The offensive to retake the capital began in earnest on 26 September when the army launched air strikes against RSF-held areas in Khartoum.

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It was in 2020 when the George Floyd protests and the Black Lives Matter movement galvanized the whole planet and precipitated efforts to ramp up DEI programs across society that the backlash began in earnest.

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Jessica watched a raft of online videos and training began in earnest.

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The Cymru Connection, where James has 60 seconds to find a mutual connection, began in earnest when a Welshman living in Japan called James' Radio 5 Live show and podcast last year.

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Programmes resembling DEI first emerged in earnest in the US in the 1960s, in the wake of the civil rights movement that fought to protect and expand the rights of black Americans.

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in earnest

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