- a variation of eagre.
eager
Americanadjective
-
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
-
characterized by or revealing great earnestness.
an eager look.
-
Obsolete. keen; sharp; biting.
adjective
-
(postpositive; often foll by to or for) impatiently desirous (of); anxious or avid (for)
he was eager to see her departure
-
characterized by or feeling expectancy or great desire
an eager look
-
archaic tart or biting; sharp
noun
Synonym Usage
See avid.
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of eager
First recorded in 1250–1300; Middle English egre, from Anglo-French, Old French egre, aigre, from Vulgar Latin (unattested) ācrus for Latin ācer “sharp”
Compare meaning
How does eager compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:
Explanation
The adjective eager describes someone is excited about or impatient for something. If you want to be a doctor one day, you might be eager to dissect a frog in biology. Your squeamish friend? Not so eager. Eager derives from old words meaning "sharp, pungent or keen," and eager carries that sense of sharpness still. In fact, being overeager is a criticism; someone overeager is likely to make a mistake because they are moving too quickly or not thinking things through before they act.
Vocabulary lists containing eager
The SAT: Words to Capture Tone, List 5
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The New SAT: Words to Capture Tone
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In the Mood? 100 Words to Describe Emotions
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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.
When Eric Lauer needs to hire at Giftory, the online gift-giving platform he runs, he's no longer looking for eager young coders fresh out of college.
From Barron's ● Jul. 17, 2026
Many IPOs struggle after coming to market, because a new issue’s shareholders are eager to sell at their first opportunity.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 16, 2026
After the note arrived, I was eager to call them and learn more.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 15, 2026
Mr. Emanuel writes that Mr. Netanyahu has left Israel “diplomatically isolated” yet later notes that “the wider Arab world has become increasingly eager to make peace with Israel.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 15, 2026
It was just a small wave, an eager nod, a slight scoot of his chair to make room for another—like he actually wanted me to take my bag and tray and cross the entire cafeteria.
From "Bye Forever, I Guess" by Jodi Meadows
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.
