eagerly
Americanadverb
Etymology
Origin of eagerly
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."
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.
The event, which brings together the leading performers in esports ranging from computer games to chess and has been eagerly backed by MBS, is being held outside Saudi Arabia for the first time.
From Barron's ● Aug. 23, 2026
It is eagerly anticipated by girls and young women in Tigray and other parts of northern Ethiopia.
From BBC ● Aug. 21, 2026
He dubbed them “the three musketeers” and eagerly signed on as D’Artagnan.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 12, 2026
When Roman LeVine, 7, eagerly swings at a water balloon, his mom Nicole LeVine pauses to take a video.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 20, 2026
Well did I remember Mrs. Reed’s face, and I eagerly sought the familiar image.
From "Jane Eyre" by Charlotte Brontë
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.
