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 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.
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; 1930–35 keen 1 for def. 8; Middle English kene, Old English cēne; cognate with German kühn, Old High German chuoni “bold,” Old Norse kœnn “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
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" — relating to "an edge or blade." Keen has a lot of close — and brutal — 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
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Unit 1: Telling Details
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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:
Oblivious to her own biases about who Leo is and why, Mallory poses as a therapist keen on saving his life, but uses their faux sessions to mine his story for literary gold.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 15, 2026
"Our European partners are keen on a strong transatlantic relationship," he told AFP, saying the bloc is drawn to Canada's "certainty and predictability."
From Barron's ● Sep. 14, 2026
Among the Canadian firms keen on cash at the summit is Deep Sky, a Montreal-based company that develops carbon-removal projects.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 11, 2026
Despite their experiences, the DJs were keen to stress that they did not blame the venues or promoters involved.
From BBC ● Sep. 10, 2026
Although he was keen to go to university, he wasn't able to pass the entrance exams.
From "Ambushed!" by Gail Jarrow
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 ● Dec. 31, 2025
Benjamin Wallfisch’s score keens and groans ominously, sometimes dipping into synthy electronic moments.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 14, 2024
She’s got a beaten-up suitcase at her feet and keens softly into her lap.
From Seattle Times ● Aug. 14, 2019
When a play date ends at their house, she keens and wails and calls his name from the end of their driveway, sobbing, ready to rend her clothing, and I have to just drive away.
From Slate ● Jul. 26, 2019
The priests walk slowly around the pyre, saying antique prayers, and the crowd, all in black, ignoring the black priests, keens.
From "Grendel" by John Gardner
Personally, I would be much keener to boast about that one.
From BBC ● Jun. 22, 2026
And keener senses tend to make for more consequential experiences.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 22, 2026
Dior designer Jonathan Anderson appeared keener than most to take some risks.
From Barron's ● Jan. 25, 2026
The magic is unique and often biological—many characters have mental or physical enhancements that give them perfect memory or keener senses.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 12, 2025
The children, whose nighttime vision was evidently far keener than her own, seemed to be busy arranging something at her feet.
From "The Unseen Guest" by Maryrose Wood
Among the candidates for Fed chairman, Kevin Warsh seems keenest to abandon the current regime.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 18, 2025
Defeat at the Gabba left only the keenest optimists holding on to the faintest hope.
From BBC ● Dec. 17, 2025
Not surprisingly, those countries keenest to see it deployed quickly - including Poland and Finland- are those geographically closest to Russia.
From BBC ● Nov. 16, 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 ● Aug. 30, 2025
“In a siege,” said Dr. Trefusis, “time’s passage is itself an event, and one of the keenest weapons of assault. You appear discountenanced.”
From "The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing, Traitor to the Nation, Volume II: The Kingdom on the Waves" by M.T. Anderson
Amid the nonstop drumbeat of hundreds of feet walking together, bagpipes keened, striking an appropriately dignified tone.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 19, 2022
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 ● 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 ● Apr. 22, 2019
The metal structure keened its mournful note again.
From The Guardian ● Mar. 18, 2013
When he cradled him in both hands, J.W. keened and moaned but didn’t thrash.
From "The Teacher’s Funeral" by Richard Peck
Languid piano tunes give way to surging, keening tides of strings.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 11, 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 ● Apr. 24, 2026
Only a handful of authentic keening songs were recorded from traditional singers, which Róis referenced on the record.
From BBC ● Dec. 31, 2025
Shift to Sport mode and the engine will hold at a high, keening rpm, trying to charge the battery faster than the driver can drain it.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 25, 2025
Beyond Hagrid, out in the dark night, Harry saw bursts of light in the distance and heard a weird, keening scream.
From "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows" by J.K. Rowling
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.
