keen

Definition of keen in English English dictionary: Enthusiastic
Do you want to learn another language? / I'm keen..; brave, courageous; bold, audacious; To utter a keen
Keen—meaning 'brisk'? Nay, here the Language warps:'Tis singing bawdy Ballads to a Corpse.; A prolonged wail for a deceased person; vehement; fierce; as, a keen appetite
So keen and greedy to confound a man. -Shak.; sharp; having a fine edge or point
Can we this quote? That my keen knife see not the wound it makes. -Shak.; acute of mind; sharp; penetrating; having or expressing mental acuteness
Can we this quote? Before the keen inquiry of her thought. -Cowper.; showing a quick and ardent willingness or responsiveness, enthusiastic, eager; interested, intense; extremely low as to be competitive
keen prices.; Marvelous
I just got this peachy keen new dress.; bitter; piercing; acrimonious; cutting; stinging; severe; as, keen satire or sarcasm
Can we this quote? Good father cardinal, cry thou amen to my keen curses. -Shak.; To sharpen; to make cold
Cold winter keens the brightening flood. -Thomson.; piercing; penetrating; cutting; sharp; -- applied to cold, wind, etc,; as, a keen wind; the cold is very keen
Can we this quote? Breasts the keen air, and carols as he goes. -Goldsmith.; {a} sharp, fine, eager, severe; {v} to sharpen; {i} wailing mournful sound, lamentation (especially for the dead); emphasis If you say that someone is mad keen on something, you are emphasizing that they are very enthusiastic about it. So you're not mad keen on science then?. to sing a loud, sad song for someone who has died; very penetrating and clear and sharp in operation; "an incisive mind"; "a keen intelligence"; "of sharp and active intellect"; as, a keen wind; the cold is very keen; You use keen to indicate that someone has a lot of enthusiasm for a particular activity and spends a lot of time doing it. She was a keen amateur photographer; Sharp; having a fine edge or point; as, a keen razor, or a razor with a keen edge; Acute of mind; sharp; penetrating; having or expressing mental acuteness; as, a man of keen understanding; a keen look; keen features; Cf; as physically painful as if caused by a sharp instrument; "a cutting wind"; "keen winds"; "knifelike cold"; "piercing knifelike pains"; "piercing cold"; "piercing criticism"; "a stabbing pain"; "lancinating pain"; express grief verbally; "we lamented the death of the child"; Coranach; having a sharp cutting edge or point; "a keen blade"; {s} sharp; biting, pungent; clever, perceptive, astute; strong, intense; eager, enthusiastic; wonderful, amazing (Slang); If you are keen on doing something, you very much want to do it. If you are keen that something should happen, you very much want it to happen. You're not keen on going, are you? I'm very keen that the European Union should be as open as possible to trade from Russia She's still keen to keep in touch I am not keen for her to have a bicycle. + keenness keen·ness Doyle's keenness to please. a keenness for the idea of a co-ordinated approach to development. = enthusiasm; Keen prices are low and competitive. The company negotiates very keen prices with their suppliers. + keenly keen·ly The shops also offer a keenly priced curtain-making service; having or demonstrating ability to recognize or draw fine distinctions; "an acute observer of politics and politicians"; "incisive comments"; "icy knifelike reasoning"; "as sharp and incisive as the stroke of a fang"; "penetrating insight"; "frequent penetrative observations"; intense or sharp; "suffered exquisite pain"; "felt exquisite pleasure"; A keen fight or competition is one in which the competitors are all trying very hard to win, and it is not easy to predict who will win. There is expected to be a keen fight in the local elections. + keenly keen·ly The contest should be very keenly fought; {f} lament, mourn, wail; very good; "he did a bully job"; "a neat sports car"; "had a great time at the party"; "you look simply smashing"; a funeral lament sung with loud wailing having a sharp cutting edge or point; "a keen blade; If you are a keen supporter of a cause, movement, or idea, you support it enthusiastically. He's been a keen supporter of the Labour Party all his life; a funeral lament sung with loud wailing; A keen interest or emotion is one that is very intense. He had retained a keen interest in the progress of the work. + keenly keen·ly She remained keenly interested in international affairs This is a keenly awaited project; If you are keen on something, you like it a lot and are very enthusiastic about it. I got quite keen on the idea + keenness keen·ness his keenness for the arts; To sharpen; to make cold. [R.]; To wail as a keener does; If you say that someone has a keen mind, you mean that they are very clever and aware of what is happening around them. They described him as a man of keen intellect + keenly keen·ly They're keenly aware that whatever they decide will set a precedent; If you describe someone as keen, you mean that they have an enthusiastic nature and are interested in everything that they do. He's a very keen student and works very hard = enthusiastic + keenness keen·ness the keenness of the students; Eager; vehement; fierce; as, a keen appetite; Piercing; penetrating; cutting; sharp; applied to cold, wind, etc; If you have a keen eye or ear, you are able to notice things that are difficult to detect. an amateur artist with a keen eye for detail = sharp + keenly keen·ly Charles listened keenly
keen as mustard: To be very keen, enthusiastic, eager
He was keen as mustard to begin the new job, until he learned what it really entailed.
keen on: fond, or appreciative of
I'm not keen on fish with lots of bones.
keen to: eager, enthusiastic
Keen as mustard: (deyim) Very enthusiastic, eager
keen eyesight: good eyesight, a sharp eye, excellent vision
keen frost: intense cold, extreme cold
keen mind: sharp intellect, quick mental abilities
keen on: fond of, devoted to, enthusiastic about
keen perception: sharp understanding, intense awareness, penetrating intuition
keen sight: sharp vision, excellent eyesight
keen-sighted: able to see well
keener: One who keens at a funeral
keener: Comparative form of keen: more keen
keening: Exaggerated moanful wailing at a funeral or wake
keenness: sharpness or cutting ability
peachy keen: Extremely good, exactly right; all right. Often used in the negative or with an ironic or sarcastic connotation to mean the opposite
Everything is just peachy keen, isn't it? The deadline is approaching and I have hardly even started yet.
keenly: {a} sharply, eagerly, bitterly, severely
keenness: {n} sharpness, eagerness, vehemence
William Keen: born Jan. 19, 1837, Philadelphia, Pa., U.S. died June 7, 1932, Philadelphia First U.S. brain surgeon. He received his M.D. from Jefferson Medical College. He was one of the first to successfully remove a brain tumour (1888) and assisted in the removal of Pres. Grover Cleveland's left upper jaw (1893), which contained a malignant tumour. In addition to his teaching and medical work, he edited Surgery: Its Principles and Practice (8 vol., 1906-13)
William Williams Keen: born Jan. 19, 1837, Philadelphia, Pa., U.S. died June 7, 1932, Philadelphia First U.S. brain surgeon. He received his M.D. from Jefferson Medical College. He was one of the first to successfully remove a brain tumour (1888) and assisted in the removal of Pres. Grover Cleveland's left upper jaw (1893), which contained a malignant tumour. In addition to his teaching and medical work, he edited Surgery: Its Principles and Practice (8 vol., 1906-13)
as keen as mustard: enthusiastic, eager
be keen on: be excited about -, be enthusiastic about -
has a keen eyesight: able to see far away without the aid of glasses
keened: past of keen
keener: Someone who is excessively keen or eager, possibly making others look bad; a brown-noser
keener: comparative of keen
keener: A professional mourner who wails at a funeral
keenest: superlative of keen
keening: An unpleasant sound
keening: present participle of keen
keening: Sharp, shrill, especially of a sound
keenly: in a keen and discriminating manner; "he was keenly aware of his own shortcomings"
keenly: In a keen manner
keenly: in a keen and discriminating manner; "he was keenly aware of his own shortcomings
keenly: sharply; pungently; perceptively, astutely; strongly, intensely; eagerly, enthusiastically
keenness: a quick and penetrating intelligence; "he argued with great acuteness"; "I admired the keenness of his mind"
keenness: {i} sharpness; pungency; cleverness, perceptiveness, astuteness; intenseness; eagerness, enthusiasm
keenness: astuteness or sagacity
keenness: thinness of edge or fineness of point
keenness: The quality or state of being keen
keenness: a positive feeling of wanting to push ahead with something
keens: third person singular of keen
keens: plural of keen

keen

Turkish pronunciation

kin

Synonyms

prompt, eager, ardent, sharp, acute, cutting, penetrating, biting, severe, sarcastic, satirical, piercing, shrewd, agog, alert

Antonyms

reluctant, unenthusiastic, uninterested, blunt, dull, obtuse, pointless, idiotic, ignorant, stupid

Pronunciation

/ˈkēn/ /ˈkiːn/

Etymology

[ kEn ] (adjective.) 13th century. From Middle English kene (“bold, brave, sharp”), from Old English cēne (“bold, brave”), from Proto-Germanic *kōnjaz (“knowledgeable, skillful, able”), from Proto-Indo-European *g'enə-, *g'nō- (“to know”). Cognate with Old High German kuoni (German kühn, “brave”), Middle Dutch coene, cōne (Dutch koen, “valiant, brave”), Old Norse kœnn (“skillful, sharp”), Danish køn (“handsome”).