51Թ

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keen

1

[keen]

adjective

keener, keenest 
  1. finely sharpened, as an edge; so shaped as to cut or pierce substances readily.

    a keen razor.

    Antonyms:
  2. sharp, piercing, or biting.

    a keen wind;

    keen satire.

    Synonyms: , ,
  3. characterized by strength and distinctness of perception; extremely sensitive or responsive.

    keen eyes;

    keen ears.

    Synonyms: , ,
  4. having or showing great mental penetration or acumen.

    keen reasoning;

    a keen mind.

    Synonyms: , , , , ,
    Antonyms: ,
  5. animated by or showing strong feeling or desire.

    keen competition.

  6. intense, as feeling or desire.

    keen ambition;

    keen jealousy.

  7. eager; interested; enthusiastic; (often followed by about, on, etc., or an infinitive).

    She is really keen on going swimming.

    Synonyms: ,
  8. Older Slang.great; wonderful; marvelous.



keen

2

[keen]

noun

  1. a wailing lament for the dead.

verb (used without object)

  1. to wail in lamentation for the dead.

verb (used with object)

  1. to mourn for by or with such keening or wailing.

    keening his mother while kneeling at her grave.

keen

1

/ 쾱ː /

adjective

  1. eager or enthusiastic

  2. fond (of); devoted (to)

    keen on a girl

    keen on golf

  3. intellectually acute

    a keen wit

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

  5. having a sharp cutting edge or point

  6. extremely cold and penetrating

    a keen wind

  7. intense or strong

    a keen desire

  8. extremely low so as to be competitive

    keen prices

  9. slangvery good

“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

keen

2

/ 쾱ː /

verb

  1. to lament the dead

“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

noun

  1. a dirge or lament for the dead

“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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Other 51Թ Forms

  • keenly adverb
  • keenness noun
  • keener noun
  • ˈԲԱ noun
  • ˈԱ adverb
  • ˈԱ noun
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51Թ History and Origins

Origin of keen1

First recorded before 900; 1930–35 keen 1 for def. 8; Middle English kene, Old English ŧԱ; cognate with German ü, Old High German chuoni “bold,” Old Norse ղԲ “wise, skillful”

Origin of keen2

First recorded in 1780–90 for the verb; from Irish caoin-, stem of caoinim “(I) lament”; noun derivative of the verb
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51Թ History and Origins

Origin of keen1

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

Origin of keen2

C19: from Irish Gaelic caoine, from Old Irish īԾ I wail
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Synonym Study

See sharp. See avid.
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Example Sentences

Examples have not been reviewed.

But while many families and survivors want the tower to remain intact, some local residents who live near Grenfell Tower are less keen for it to stay as it is.

From

Towards the end of filming the documentary, Heston is keen to ask me about my own research into bipolar care in the UK.

From

"You become the rabbit, but he was really keen to break the British record."

From

The 33-year-old is keen to move back to England after a difficult season at French side Racing 92.

From

Manchester City had been keen on Wirtz before cooling their interest because of the costs involved in the deal, while Bayern Munich were also linked with him.

From

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When To Use

What doeskeen mean?

Keen commonly means eager, interested, or enthusiastic. This sense of the word is often followed by about or on and the particular interest, as in He’s very keen on music. More generally, keen means sharp, intense, or strong. It can be used to mean sharp in a literal way, as in a keen blade. It can also be used in several figurative ways. A keen sense of smell is one that’s very strong and perceptive. A keen intellect is one that’s sharp in the sense of being mentally strong. A keen desire is an intense one. A keen satire and a keen wind are both piercing and biting—they both sting.The word keen can also be used as a slang term meaning wonderful or splendid, and this is how it’s used in the phrase peachy keen, which is used as an informal and playful way to describe something as excellent or wonderful.Example: He showed keen jealousy over my keen knife.

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keel vesselKeene