eager
Americanadjective
-
keen or ardent in desire or feeling; impatiently longing.
I am eager for news about them. He is eager to sing.
- Synonyms:
- interested, desirous, enthusiastic
- Antonyms:
- uninterested, indifferent, apathetic
-
characterized by or revealing great earnestness.
an eager look.
-
Obsolete. keen; sharp; biting.
adjective
-
(postpositive; often foll by to or for) impatiently desirous (of); anxious or avid (for)
he was eager to see her departure
-
characterized by or feeling expectancy or great desire
an eager look
-
archaic tart or biting; sharp
noun
Related Words
See avid.
Other Word Forms
- eagerly adverb
- eagerness noun
Etymology
Origin of eager
First recorded in 1250–1300; Middle English egre, from Anglo-French, Old French egre, aigre, from Vulgar Latin (unattested) ācrus for Latin ācer “sharp”
Compare meaning
How does eager compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
But a weaker February jobs report would leave him eager to support a March rate cut, and at the moment, the possibilities are “close to a coin flip,” he said.
It is a legacy South Koreans are eager to shake free of – and many still remember what pre-democracy Korea looked like.
From BBC
Atkin came into her second Olympics fresh from winning X Games gold and as the reigning world champion, eager to improve on the ninth-place finish she achieved on her debut in Beijing four years ago.
From BBC
Crews were filming the last episodes this week as the Muslim holy month kicked off -- primetime viewing in the Arab world, with channels and outlets furiously competing for eager audiences' attention.
From Barron's
Researchers around the world are eager to confirm the existence of such materials.
From Science Daily
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
