eagerness
Americannoun
Etymology
Origin of eagerness
Explanation
Eagerness is a characteristic of being excited and prepared to do something. Shooting your hand in the air and shouting, "Me! Me!" when your teacher asks for a volunteer is a good way to show your eagerness. A basketball team displays its eagerness by running onto the court at the start of the game, and a puppy's eagerness to lick your face and nibble your fingers is either the cutest thing about it, or one of the many reasons you don't like puppies. Eagerness and eager are both positive words, but in the thirteenth century eager meant "fierce or angry," and it shares a Latin root with the sour word acrid, or "bitter."
Vocabulary lists containing eagerness
A Single Shard
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
The Suffix -ness, Part 1
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
Greed
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
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.
At G20 trade talks in Milwaukee, US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer struck a conciliatory tone, saying there was an "eagerness on both sides to work together" on the diesel issue.
From Barron's ● Oct. 1, 2026
In that moment, our eagerness must have seemed like her reward.
From Slate ● Sep. 3, 2026
"I've seen him with this eagerness to show himself. He will have a chance during the pre-season. He came one week earlier and I hope we can see him in a good place," said Iraola.
From BBC ● Aug. 24, 2026
“But the yearning for Ashura, the eagerness, the tears in people’s eyes; that has doubled, because people are living Karbala in their lives.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 22, 2026
The children, whose tendency to get carried away was exceeded only by their eagerness to please, looked crestfallen.
From "The Hidden Gallery" by Maryrose Wood
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.
