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

"It's almost palpably eager to please – and if you don't welcome it right into your heart, you might want to check there's not some marmalade gumming it shut."

Read more on BBC

The divide is partly generational: pitting some of those personally scarred by a troubled nuclear past against a younger population eager to embrace zero-carbon energy and technological advancement.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

I was especially eager to try Google’s latest Gemini model, which powers a new version of its popular image tool called Nano Banana Pro.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Breeds with low levels were most often labeled "friendly," followed by "eager to please," "easy to train," "courageous," "lively," and "affectionate."

Read more on Science Daily

These days, he said, his phone regularly lights up with messages from recruiters eager to lure him to other jobs.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

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