eager

[ee-ger]

adjective

1. 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

2. characterized by or revealing great earnestness.

   an eager look.

   Synonyms: earnest, intense, intent, fervid, zealous, fervent
   Antonyms: negligent, heedless

3. Obsolete.,  keen; sharp; biting.

eager

¹

/ ˈiːɡə /

adjective

1. (postpositive; often foll by to or for) impatiently desirous (of); anxious or avid (for)

   he was eager to see her departure

2. characterized by or feeling expectancy or great desire

   an eager look

3. archaic,  tart or biting; sharp

eager

²

/ ˈeɪɡə /

noun

1. a variant spelling of eagre

Other Word Forms

• eagerly adverb
• eagerness noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of eager¹

First recorded in 1250–1300; Middle English egre, from Anglo-French, Old French egre, aigre, from Vulgar Latin (unattested) ācrus for Latin ācer “sharp”

Word History and Origins

Origin of eager¹

C13: from Old French egre, from Latin acer sharp, keen

Synonym Study

See avid.

Example Sentences

We’re eager, as ever, to tackle the global economic and security challenges that face us—together.

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It’s worth asking why administrators at Montclair State seem so eager to deny their students—American or not—the educational opportunities that many of the administrators themselves received.

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European auto suppliers were already eager to diversify their permanent magnet sources before China’s move, Suleman said, and the April restrictions prompted more interest from customers in other industries.

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They grew instantly animated, asking eager questions and comparing clinic experiences.

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They themselves were eager to praise the goodness of the local villagers, who appear to have taken to the Jews in their midst in ways not all French people did.

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Related Words

• ambitious 
• greedy 
• hungry 
• impatient 
• keen 
• restless 
• thirsty