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
Related Words
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.
Thanks in part to its centralized location, tucked between the offices of SiriusXM and music and sports entertainment company Roc Nation, they say guests are more eager to visit and record in person.
From Los Angeles Times • May 16, 2026
The FBI director was also on the Hill this week for a budget hearing and, in an unorthodox strategy for a setting where you’re asking Congress for money, was eager to fight.
From Slate • May 16, 2026
Investors have been eager to pore over the details, which will include financial statements, details of SpaceX’s various businesses—including the recently added xAI artificial-intelligence business—and the ownership structure.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 15, 2026
Given the size of China's economy, a number of world leaders, including those from US allies such as Canada, the UK and Germany, have turned up, eager to do a deal with Beijing.
From BBC • May 14, 2026
Aunt Kitty was eager to take her up on this offer and get some clues to the murder mystery, so we called at Mrs. Drysdale’s home at six o’clock sharp.
From "The Detective's Assistant" by Kate Hannigan
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.
