Synonyms

eagerly

American

[ee-ger-lee] / ˈi gər li /

adverb

in a way that shows keen interest or fervent, often impatient desire or feeling.

On my first visit, the receptionist eagerly gave me a tour of the facilities, enthusiastically pointing out all the state-of-the-art equipment.

Etymology

Origin of eagerly

eager ( def. ) + -ly

Explanation

If you do something eagerly, you do it with much excitement and enthusiasm. When it's your turn to hit the piñata at a party, you might grab the bat eagerly because you can't wait to take a swing. If you skip breakfast and lunch, you'll eat dinner eagerly, and if you collect stamps, you might eagerly examine every stamped envelope you come across, in case you can add it to your collection. Anything done with an eager attitude is done eagerly. Interestingly, eager has changed in meaning over the years — in the 13th century it meant "fierce or angry," from the Latin acrem, "pointed, piercing, or zealous."

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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.

Eagerly they dig into platters of durian, carefully arranged from the mildest to the richest.

From BBC • Jan. 10, 2026

"The next 3 days will be nothing less than 'terrific'! Eagerly looking forward to the landing!"

From Reuters • Aug. 21, 2023

Eagerly swiping through photos on her phone, Kobes showed off the classroom trailer she and Amoros helped transform to house a robotics field.

From Washington Times • Mar. 11, 2018

Eagerly awaiting Season 2 of FX’s “X-Men”-adjacent show?

From Los Angeles Times • Jul. 19, 2017

Eagerly, Riccio kneeled down on the floor and started leafing through the large pages.

From "The Thief Lord" by Cornelia Funke

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023