keen
1 Americanadjective
-
keener,
comparative
-
keenest
superlative
-
finely sharpened, as an edge; so shaped as to cut or pierce substances readily.
a keen razor.
- Antonyms:
- dull
-
sharp, piercing, or biting.
a keen wind;
keen satire.
-
characterized by strength and distinctness of perception; extremely sensitive or responsive.
keen eyes;
keen ears.
- Synonyms:
- acute, penetrating, piercing
-
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.
noun
-
keens
plural
verb (used without object)
-
keens,
present (3rd person singular)
-
keened,
past participle, past
-
keening
present participle
verb (used with object)
-
keens,
present (3rd person singular)
-
keened,
past participle, past
-
keening
present participle
adjective
-
eager or enthusiastic
-
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
-
extremely low so as to be competitive
keen prices
-
slang very good
verb
noun
Usage
What does keen 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 Heโs 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 thatโs very strong and perceptive. A keen intellect is one thatโs 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 bitingโthey both sting. The word keen can also be used as a slang term meaning wonderful or splendid, and this is how itโs 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.
Synonym Usage
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Adjectives
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
keensimple
-
keenssimple
-
have keenedperfect
-
has keenedperfect
-
am keeningprogressive
-
are keeningprogressive
-
is keeningprogressive
-
have been keeningperfect progressive
-
has been keeningperfect progressive
Past
-
keenedsimple
-
had keenedperfect
-
was keeningprogressive
-
were keeningprogressive
-
had been keeningperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of keen1
First recorded before 900; 1930โ35 keen 1 for def. 8; Middle English kene, Old English cฤne; cognate with German kรผhn, Old High German chuoni โbold,โ Old Norse kลnn โwise, skillfulโ
Origin of keen2
First recorded in 1780โ90 for the verb; from Irish caoin-, stem of caoinim โ(I) lamentโ; noun derivative of the verb
Explanation
If you have a keen interest in something, you are really, really into it. Keen is an adjective that describes something that is intense, sharp, or focused. The word keen comes from the Old English word cene that translates to "bold and brave" and while the spelling is now really different, the sounds are similar. Variations of keen as being "bold" and "strong" show up in other languages, but only English has the meaning of "sharp" โ relating to "an edge or blade." Keen has a lot of close โ and brutal โ synonyms, such as caustic, cutting, piercing, and penetrating. It can also be used as a verb to mean "express grief or pain out loud."
Vocabulary lists containing keen
The Vocabulary.com Top 1000
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com โ one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
St. Patrick's Day Vocabulary: Words With Irish and Gaelic Roots
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more โ and it's all completely free to use!
Unit 1: Telling Details
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com โ we'll help you make the most of your study time!
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.
See Examples For:
But evidence is exciting researchers, and they’re keen to learn more.
From Slate โ Nov. 1, 2026
Huang could be beneficial to an intelligence official keen on getting a sense of Trump’s thinking on U.S. strategy as it relates to chips, according to Bresnick.
From MarketWatch โ Oct. 31, 2026
Caution persists regarding potential new waves of volatility in French government bonds, or OATs, “given uncertainties about next protests, budget negotiations and investors not yet keen to add a lot of risk,” they say.
From The Wall Street Journal โ Oct. 30, 2026
And McDermott is keen for his side to stick to the blueprint that helped them thrash France 82-0 last weekend to keep slim prospects of a semi-final berth within their sights.
From BBC โ Oct. 29, 2026
Luckily, the children had keen senses of smell.
From "The Interrupted Tale" by Maryrose Wood
Dr Caulfield said she was "delighted” to see Róis “proudly performing her keens to full houses, with no shame or stigmatisation involved, just audiences loving her bravery and skill".
From BBC โ Dec. 31, 2025
Benjamin Wallfisch’s score keens and groans ominously, sometimes dipping into synthy electronic moments.
From Los Angeles Times โ Aug. 14, 2024
In gratitude, Page tattooed "c keens" – his nickname for Keener – on his body.
From Salon โ Jun. 2, 2022
She’s got a beaten-up suitcase at her feet and keens softly into her lap.
From Seattle Times โ Aug. 14, 2019
A sound I didn’t know I could make keens out of me.
From "Ghost Boys" by Jewell Parker Rhodes
A startup now wants dogs to have a similar advantage, genetically modifying man’s best friend to make them run faster, have a keener sense of smell and avoid common genetic conditions.
From The Wall Street Journal โ Oct. 23, 2026
When it comes to courting the EU, Canada appears to some to be even keener than one of the bloc's closest neighbours.
From BBC โ Sep. 15, 2026
And keener senses tend to make for more consequential experiences.
From Los Angeles Times โ Apr. 22, 2026
Dior designer Jonathan Anderson appeared keener than most to take some risks.
From Barron's โ Jan. 25, 2026
Arm could see over their heads, but unfortunately his eyes were no keener than the next man’s.
From "The Ear, the Eye, and the Arm" by Nancy Farmer
The event was hosted by Wendy Cutler, a veteran American trade negotiator and one of Washington’s keenest observers of Asian trade policy.
From The Wall Street Journal โ Apr. 21, 2026
Among the candidates for Fed chairman, Kevin Warsh seems keenest to abandon the current regime.
From The Wall Street Journal โ Dec. 18, 2025
For our money, Jim is both the funniest and keenest politics writer in the United States—which is to say, readers, your long national nightmare is over!
From Slate โ Aug. 30, 2025
For five years it hosted the country's finest and keenest skateboarders, witnessing flips and tricks as a new subculture boomed in popularity.
From BBC โ Aug. 20, 2025
Hutton was by all accounts a man of the keenest insights and liveliest conversation, a delight in company, and without rival when it came to understanding the mysterious slow processes that shaped the Earth.
From "A Short History of Nearly Everything" by Bill Bryson
But whether the wind produced a lion’s roar, or merely keened or whistled or hummed, at its peak it was clocked by the National Weather Service at Reagan National Airport at 29 mph.
From Washington Post โ Feb. 29, 2020
Well, the souls howled and keened, as distressed souls are known to do, since they understood that a garden that nobody visited was not worth cultivating.
From The New Yorker โ Apr. 22, 2019
While the violin lines of “Where Are U Now” keened behind him, his face was slick with sweat.
From Los Angeles Times โ May 10, 2015
The metal structure keened its mournful note again.
From The Guardian โ Mar. 18, 2013
Above, the wind keened through the Wailing Tower.
From "A Clash of Kings" by George R.R. Martin
The keening chorus is anchored by Roger Troutman, who enjoyed a series of 1980s hits with sprays of talk-box-warped vocals, while the blasting beat was produced by Dr. Dre, the chief architect of G-funk.
From The Wall Street Journal โ Aug. 21, 2026
Gilgamesh’s lament is not the stylized keening of epic tradition—not Achilles’ highfalutin howls after Hector strikes down Patroclus—but something rawer, humbler, more recognizably human.
From The Wall Street Journal โ Apr. 24, 2026
Only a handful of authentic keening songs were recorded from traditional singers, which Róis referenced on the record.
From BBC โ Dec. 31, 2025
When I set out to write this, I admit, I meant it to be as rueful as Earl’s keening deathbed monologue about “the goddamn regret.”
From Los Angeles Times โ Dec. 6, 2024
Often they would ride for hours without a word spoken, the only sounds the soft scrape of horse-shoes on stone and the keening of the wind, which blew endlessly,through the heights.
From "A Clash of Kings" by George R.R. Martin
Random Word
Spin the wheel and learn a new word!
Get a wordDefinitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, ยฉ Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritageยฎ Idioms Dictionary copyright ยฉ 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
