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

Despite the shortcomings, the supervisors said they were eager to implement the report’s recommendations, which included making it clear who was responsible for issuing evacuations and beefing up staffing for the Office of Emergency Management.

From Los Angeles Times

Doncic, out for his own redemption after last year’s trade and conversations about his weight and work ethic, was eager to begin his first training camp with the Lakers.

From Los Angeles Times

Kennedy’s tactics owe a lot to the anti-abortion movement, which spent decades repackaging their efforts to destroy women’s rights as a crusade to “protect” them from supposedly evil doctors eager to inflict abortions on them.

From Salon

I was eager to see how criminals make these shady deals with potentially treacherous employees at a time when cyber-attacks around the world are becoming more impactful and disruptive to everyday life.

From BBC

She reveals, “I started teaching at my dad’s karate school. The kids are so eager to practice. Seeing that makes me so happy.”

From Salon

Related Words

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