eager implies ardor and enthusiasm and sometimes impatience at delay or restraint.
eager to get started
avid adds to eager the implication of insatiability or greed.
avid for new thrills
keen suggests intensity of interest and quick responsiveness in action.
keen on the latest fashions
anxious emphasizes fear of frustration or failure or disappointment.
anxious not to make a social blunder
athirst stresses yearning but not necessarily readiness for action.
athirst for adventure
Example Sentences
AdjectiveWhen you've been trying to remember something and you suddenly remember it, the mental pleasure is keen. Ian Frazier, Atlantic, October 2004Indeed, tobacco processors were keen to promote variety even further by saturating and mixing the cut and spun leaf with a miscellany of spices … Simon Schama, The Embarrassment of Riches, 1988But Mary wasn't keen on braving the Athens streets alone so Magnus went instead; Mary would do a museum in the morning. John le Carré, A Perfect Spy, 1986That he took a keen interest in scientific navigation is indicated by his keeping a daybook or journal (which has not survived), and by making an honest effort to determine longitude. Samuel Eliot Morison, The European Discovery of America, 1971The keen clear wind swept in on his left cheek, and as he bore on the helm so the Sophie answered, quicker and more nervous than he had expected. Patrick O'Brian, Master and Commander, 1970Planting himself squarely before the two tall cowboys who were standing, he looked straight into their lean, bronzed faces. He spared a full moment for that keen cool gaze before he spoke. Zane Grey, Desert Gold, 1913 She's a very keen observer of the political world. pilots with especially keen eyesight Verb mourners keening at a funeral victims of the disaster have been keening for weeks about the slowness of governmental aid Noun the loud keens of the widows were heard throughout the war-ravaged city See More
Recent Examples on the Web
Adjective
Oedipus, paragon of problem-solvers, discovers by the end of the play the limits of his own keen intellect.Los Angeles Times, 10 Sep. 2022 With a keen focus on booking only rising talent — those mostly unknown on a national scale — Mile of Music aims to help artists advance their career trajectory. Garret K. Woodward, Rolling Stone, 7 Sep. 2022 The keen vintage fan is enjoying a Sandy-from-Grease phase, with skintight black pedal-pushers and cute cardis, and amplified the look with pigtails. Alice Newbold, Glamour, 7 Sep. 2022 Skarper’s story started during the first Covid-19 lockdown in 2020, when Darwood, a keen cyclist and inventor in the medical space, started looking for an ebike.WIRED, 6 Sep. 2022 Being able to compare the video footage taken during each eight-hour excursion could help determine the rate of decay, and the company is collaborating with scientists keen to identify the various species on and around the wreckage. Jennifer Ouellette, Ars Technica, 6 Sep. 2022 After scoring only three points in the series-opening loss to the Sun, Vandersloot’s frustration brought a keen edge to Game 2 to level the series. Julia Poe, Chicago Tribune, 4 Sep. 2022 House of the Dragon seems keen to emphasize that Viserys is a good man but a wavering ruler, and his indecision will beget its own horrors. Lauren Puckett-pope, ELLE, 4 Sep. 2022 Smietana, a national reporter for Religion News Service, is a keen observer of American faith and a Christian himself. Frank E. Lockwood, Arkansas Online, 3 Sep. 2022
Verb
Surfer Boy Pizza employee has made quite an impact in season 4, and keen Twitter fans discovered that there is a way to talk to him (no connection to the Upside Down required).Seventeen, 11 July 2022 Tourists keen to hit the fish markets of Tokyo will have to wait a bit longer to get their sushi fix. Karla Cripps, CNN, 27 Apr. 2022 That’s great news for travelers keen on making the most of the ski season in Scandinavia, taking a northern lights safari or enjoying a winter city break in one of the Scandinavian capitals. David Nikel, Forbes, 31 Jan. 2022 For Web3 developers keen to witness the fruits of their labor quickly, this way of working strengthens their abilities to iterate products and innovate fast. Ivan Burazin, Forbes, 1 July 2022 Critics keen to rescue the Scottish author James Kelman from the presumed stigma of a narrow regional identity love to cite august names such as Kafka, Dostoevsky and Beckett. Boyd Tonkin, WSJ, 8 July 2022 But now that changing dynamics could cool the scorching-hot space, investors keen on playing the real estate boom can look to some more creative areas to invest. Anne Sraders, Fortune, 14 Apr. 2022 Many people were first-time tree planters and keen on making sure their trees survived.Los Angeles Times, 20 June 2022 The expanding monkeypox outbreak is posing enormous communications challenges for public health authorities keen to keep this animal virus from becoming entrenched as a human pathogen. Helen Branswell, STAT, 4 June 2022
Noun
The project, which today published its results in Astronomy & Astrophysics, had volunteers—members of the public keen to help out—sift through 37,000 images on the lookout for asteroids accidentally captured in Hubble’s images. Jamie Carter, Forbes, 6 May 2022 Persuasion is about just that: the social pressures of a society keen on containing women within precise, punishing boxes. Lauren Puckett-pope, ELLE, 16 July 2022 The firm declined to work with one notorious Hollywood figure keen to launder a decades-long disgrace. Mark Ellwood, Robb Report, 4 June 2022 The only downfall is that there are only two hotel options for those keen to pay with tokens. Kaitlyn Mcinnis, Forbes, 18 Mar. 2022 Two changes to the camera are ProRes video capture on iPhone 13 Pro and Pro Max, something mostly of interest to the most keen of enthusiast and professional photographers. David Phelan, Forbes, 25 Oct. 2021 Donny van de Beek is also reportedly a target for Crystal Palace with the Selhurst Park outfit keen to sign the Dutch midfielder on loan until the end of the season. Graham Ruthven, Forbes, 26 Jan. 2022 That number also exceeds Trump's first year in office, which has served as an unofficial benchmark of sorts for an administration keen on emphasizing its focus on the courts. Phil Mattingly, CNN, 15 Dec. 2021 However, there are various cruise companies that offer smaller ships for those keen for a more Love Boat style cruising experience. Tamara Hardingham-gill, CNN, 23 May 2022 See More
Word History
Etymology
Adjective and Noun
Middle English kene brave, sharp, from Old English cēne brave; akin to Old High German kuoni brave