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.
Yet Owens eagerly indulged his son’s tale because this kind of thinking is now the primary currency of outrage media.
From Salon • May 23, 2026
Carole and David White, who lost their Palisades townhome, had been eagerly anticipating the reopening services.
From Los Angeles Times • May 20, 2026
Little wonder that the chancellor and PM are eagerly hoping for an end to hostilities in the Gulf, and a reopening of the Strait of Hormuz.
From BBC • May 14, 2026
Shares of AST SpaceMobile are rocketing higher on Monday as investors eagerly await the SpaceX rival to report first-quarter earnings.
From MarketWatch • May 11, 2026
I eagerly dug through the cabinets, pulling out a bag of sugar, a measuring cup, two pitchers, plastic cups, and a wooden spoon.
From "Sir Fig Newton and the Science of Persistence" by Sonja Thomas
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.
