keen Hear it!

keen¹ Definition

keen (kēn)

adjective

  1. having a sharp edge or point; that can cut well a keen knife, a keen edge
  2. sharp or cutting in force; piercing a keen appetite, a keen wind
  3. sharp and quick in seeing, hearing, thinking, etc.; acute keen eyes, a keen intelligence
  4. sharp-witted; mentally acute; shrewd
  5. eager; enthusiastic; much interested: often with about, on, etc.
  6. strongly felt or perceived; intense; strong keen desire, a keen scent
  7. ☆ Slang good, fine, etc.: a generalized term of approval

Etymology: ME kene < OE cene, wise, learned, akin to Ger kühn, bold < IE base *ĝen-, to know: the principal senses spring from the basic notion “capable”

keen¹ Related Forms

keen′ly adverb keen′·ness noun

keen² Definition

keen (kēn)

noun

Irish a wailing for the dead; dirge

Etymology: Ir caoine < caoinim, I wail

intransitive verb

  1. Irish to lament or wail for the dead
  2. to make a wailing, shrill, or mournful sound suggestive of a keen

transitive verb

to utter in a wailing tone

keen Synonyms

keen

modif.

  1. Sharp

    pointed, edged, well-honed, acute; see sharp 1, 2.

  2. Astute

    bright, clever, shrewd; see clever 1, intelligent 1, judicious.

  3. Intense

    cutting, piercing, biting, strong; see extreme 2, intense.

  4. Eager

    ardent, interested, intent; see enthusiastic 1, 2.

  5. Sensitive

    perceptive, penetrating, sharp; see observant 1. See syn. study at eager, sharp.

keen Usage Examples

Preposition: on

idea: And I've begun work in earnest on a new picture book, since my editor was so keen on the idea last week.

Preposition: as

mustard: We feed him once a day, and not too much then, so that he is always as keen as mustard.

Modifies a noun

  • gardener: I'm a keen gardener; how will the trees affect me?
  • sportsman: Chris Chris, a keen sportsman, collided with a tree whilst snow boarding.
  • golfer: He gained Blues for Cricket and Hockey at Cambridge and remains a keen golfer and squash player.
  • walker: Keen walkers may wish to take the 5 mile walk along the Coast to Branscombe taking in views from Start Point to Portland.
  • supporter: Beverley and East Riding is a keen supporter of the LTA campaign Play Tennis 2006.
  • cyclist: A keen cyclist herself, Councilor Parker continued: " Cycling is often the quickest way to get around.

Modifying Another Word

  • particularly: At present we are particularly keen to hear from any keyboard player who could help us with the children's singing.
  • especially: Tony Hams: We are especially keen to engage more effectively with young people.
  • very: The second supplier was very keen to do the job.
  • overly: The overly keen that said yes were dropped from our list!

Infinitive complement

  • hear: We were also keen to hear how people where keeping their bins clean.
  • recruit: HATII is keen to recruit research students from within or outwith the university for PhD study.
  • encourage: Graham was very keen to encourage songwriters to write more indigenous Romanian worship songs.
  • emphasize: The State Department was keen to emphasize that the visits were unofficial.
  • promote: The forum is keen to promote the positive advantages identified by people on the ground.
  • ensure: They were certainly keen to ensure justice was seen to be done.

Used with adjective complement

  • seem: He has gone off on holiday but seemed keen to help on his return.
  • appear: There was a code of behavior among the students which said that they should not appear keen in front of their peers.

Browse dictionary entries near keen

  1. ‹ Keelung
  2. ‹ keelson
  3. ‹ Keeling Islands
  4. ‹ keelhaul
  5. ‹ keelboat
  6. ‹ keel over
  7. ‹ keel
  8. ‹ keek
  9. ‹ keef
  10. ‹ Kedron
  1. keen-sighted ›
  2. keenly ›
  3. keenness ›
  4. keep ›
  5. keep after ›
  6. keep alive bits ›
  7. keep an appointment ›
  8. keep at ›
  9. keep away ›
  10. keep back ›