keen

[ keen ]

/ kin /

SEE SYNONYMS FOR keen ON THESAURUS.COM

adjective, keen·er, keen·est.

finely sharpened, as an edge; so shaped as to cut or pierce substances readily: a keen razor.

sharp, piercing, or biting: a keen wind; keen satire.

characterized by strength and distinctness of perception; extremely sensitive or responsive: keen eyes; keen ears.

having or showing great mental penetration or acumen: keen reasoning; a keen mind.

animated by or showing strong feeling or desire: keen competition.

intense, as feeling or desire: keen ambition; keen jealousy.

eager; interested; enthusiastic (often followed by about, on, etc., or an infinitive): She is really keen on going swimming.

Slang. great; wonderful; marvelous.

Origin of keen

before 900; 1930–35 for def 8; Middle English kene, Old English cēne; cognate with German kühn, Old High German chuoni bold, Old Norse kœnn wise, skillful

SYNONYMS FOR keen

1, 4 See sharp.

2 cutting, bitter, caustic.

3 piercing, penetrating, acute.

4 discerning, acute, astute, sagacious, shrewd, clever.

5 See avid.

7 earnest, fervid.

SEE SYNONYMS FOR keen ON THESAURUS.COM

ANTONYMS FOR keen

1, 3, 4 dull.

SEE ANTONYMS FOR keen ON THESAURUS.COM

OTHER WORDS FROM keen

keen·ly, adverb keen·ness, noun

Words nearby keen

keelie, keeling islands, keelless, keelson, keelung, keen, keen about, be, keene, keene's cement, keener, keening

Example sentences from the Web for keener

Of the two, Harry was the keener to get the relationship going again.

Inside the Harry and Cressie Make Up: Britain’s Favorite Royal Is In Love |Tom Sykes |October 3, 2014 |DAILY BEAST
He is single, claiming not to be good at relationships, and keener to focus on work.

Barkhad Abdi: From Limo Driver to Oscar Contender |Tim Teeman |February 23, 2014 |DAILY BEAST
Back then—as now—Sharron Angle was a crusader, Keener said, and her greatest joy came from her faith.

The Messiah from Nevada |Rebecca Dana |October 21, 2010 |DAILY BEAST
Angle was a pious woman, Keener said, not one for earthly indulgences.

The Messiah from Nevada |Rebecca Dana |October 21, 2010 |DAILY BEAST

But Tóibín was keener on blogging which he compared to the thriving pamphlet industry during the 18th Century.

Can the Author Survive the Internet? |Max McGuinness |April 28, 2010 |DAILY BEAST
Their vision was keener than man's; Ahab could discover no sign in the sea.

Moby Dick; or The Whale |Herman Melville
Nothing misty in her eyes now—rather a keener light than before.

The Convert |Elizabeth Robins
No woman in England, so it was generally said, had a keener political insight than Lady Elphinspoon.

Winsome Winnie and other New Nonsense Novels |Stephen Leacock
No one had a greater appreciation of, or took a keener pleasure in, life's unruffled placidity than the young society man.

The Crimson Gardenia and Other Tales of Adventure |Rex Beach
He differed from them in degree, not in kind; he had a keener sense of artistic composition, a more excellent literary style.

The Legend of Sir Lancelot du Lac |Jessie L. Weston

British Dictionary definitions for keener (1 of 3)

keener

/ (ˈkiːnə) /

noun

Canadian informal a person, esp a student, who is keen, enthusiastic, or zealous

British Dictionary definitions for keener (2 of 3)

keen ¹

/ (kiːn) /

adjective

eager or enthusiastic

(postpositive foll by on) fond (of); devoted (to) keen on a girl; keen on golf

intellectually acute a keen wit

(of sight, smell, hearing, etc) capable of recognizing fine distinctions

having a sharp cutting edge or point

extremely cold and penetrating a keen wind

intense or strong a keen desire

mainly British extremely low so as to be competitive keen prices

slang, mainly US and Canadian very good

Derived forms of keen

keenly, adverb keenness, noun

Word Origin for keen

Old English cēne; related to Old High German kuoni brave, Old Norse koenn wise; see can 1, know

British Dictionary definitions for keener (3 of 3)

keen ²

/ (kiːn) /

verb (intr)

to lament the dead

noun

a dirge or lament for the dead

Derived forms of keen

keener, noun

Word Origin for keen

C19: from Irish Gaelic caoine, from Old Irish coīnim I wail

BROWSE DICTIONARY

Learning

keen

adjective, keen·er, keen·est.

Origin of keen

SYNONYMS FOR keen

ANTONYMS FOR keen

OTHER WORDS FROM keen

Words nearby keen

Example sentences from the Web for keener

British Dictionary definitions for keener (1 of 3)

noun

British Dictionary definitions for keener (2 of 3)

adjective

Derived forms of keen

Word Origin for keen

British Dictionary definitions for keener (3 of 3)

verb (intr)

noun

Derived forms of keen

Word Origin for keen

BROWSE DICTIONARY

Learning

keen

adjective, keen·er, keen·est.

Origin of keen

SYNONYMS FOR keen

ANTONYMS FOR keen

OTHER WORDS FROM keen

Words nearby keen

Words related to keener

Example sentences from the Web for keener

(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []) .push({}); British Dictionary definitions for keener (1 of 3)

noun

British Dictionary definitions for keener (2 of 3)

adjective

Derived forms of keen

Word Origin for keen

British Dictionary definitions for keener (3 of 3)

verb (intr)

noun

Derived forms of keen

Word Origin for keen

British Dictionary definitions for keener (1 of 3)