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keen

¹ American  

[keen] / kin /

adjective

• keener,
  comparative
• keenest
  superlative

1. finely sharpened, as an edge; so shaped as to cut or pierce substances readily.

   a keen razor.

   Antonyms:

   dull

2. sharp, piercing, or biting.

   a keen wind;

   keen satire.

   Synonyms:

   caustic, bitter, cutting

3. characterized by strength and distinctness of perception; extremely sensitive or responsive.

   keen eyes;

   keen ears.

   Synonyms:

   acute, penetrating, piercing

4. having or showing great mental penetration or acumen.

   keen reasoning;

   a keen mind.

   Synonyms:

   clever, shrewd, sagacious, astute, acute, discerning

   Antonyms:

   obtuse, dull

5. animated by or showing strong feeling or desire.

   keen competition.

6. intense, as feeling or desire.

   keen ambition;

   keen jealousy.

7. eager; interested; enthusiastic; (often followed by about, on, etc., or an infinitive).

   She is really keen on going swimming.

   Synonyms:

   fervid, earnest

8. Older Slang. great; wonderful; marvelous.

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keen ² American  

[keen] / kin /

noun

• keens
  plural

1. a wailing lament for the dead.

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verb (used without object)

• keens,
  present (3rd person singular)
• keened,
  past participle,  past
• keening
  present participle

1. to wail in lamentation for the dead.

verb (used with object)

• keens,
  present (3rd person singular)
• keened,
  past participle,  past
• keening
  present participle

1. to mourn for by or with such keening or wailing.

   keening his mother while kneeling at her grave.

keen ¹ British  

/ kiːn /

adjective

1. eager or enthusiastic

2. fond (of); devoted (to)

   keen on a girl

   keen on golf

3. intellectually acute

   a keen wit

4. (of sight, smell, hearing, etc) capable of recognizing fine distinctions

5. having a sharp cutting edge or point

6. extremely cold and penetrating

   a keen wind

7. intense or strong

   a keen desire

8. extremely low so as to be competitive

   keen prices

9. slang very good

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keen ² British  

/ kiːn /

verb

1. to lament the dead

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noun

1. a dirge or lament for the dead

Usage

What does keen mean? Keen commonly means eager, interested, or enthusiastic. This sense of the word is often followed by about or on and the particular interest, as in He’s very keen on music. More generally, keen means sharp, intense, or strong. It can be used to mean sharp in a literal way, as in a keen blade. It can also be used in several figurative ways. A keen sense of smell is one that’s very strong and perceptive. A keen intellect is one that’s sharp in the sense of being mentally strong. A keen desire is an intense one. A keen satire and a keen wind are both piercing and biting—they both sting. The word keen can also be used as a slang term meaning wonderful or splendid, and this is how it’s used in the phrase peachy keen, which is used as an informal and playful way to describe something as excellent or wonderful. Example: He showed keen jealousy over my keen knife.

Synonym Usage

See sharp. See avid.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• keener
  noun
• keenness
  noun
• keenly
  adverb

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• keens
  plural

Adjectives

• keener
  comparative
• keenest
  superlative

Participles

• keening
  present
• keened
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• keen
  simple
• keens
  simple
• have keened
  perfect
• has keened
  perfect
• am keening
  progressive
• are keening
  progressive
• is keening
  progressive
• have been keening
  perfect progressive
• has been keening
  perfect progressive

Past

• keened
  simple
• had keened
  perfect
• was keening
  progressive
• were keening
  progressive
• had been keening
  perfect progressive

Future

• will keen
  simple
• will have keened
  perfect
• will be keening
  progressive
• will have been keening
  perfect progressive

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Etymology

Origin of keen¹

First recorded before 900; 1930–35 keen ¹ for def. 8; Middle English kene, Old English cēne; cognate with German kühn, Old High German chuoni “bold,” Old Norse kœnn “wise, skillful”

Origin of keen²

First recorded in 1780–90 for the verb; from Irish caoin-, stem of caoinim “(I) lament”; noun derivative of the verb

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Explanation

If you have a keen interest in something, you are really, really into it. Keen is an adjective that describes something that is intense, sharp, or focused. The word keen comes from the Old English word cene that translates to "bold and brave" and while the spelling is now really different, the sounds are similar. Variations of keen as being "bold" and "strong" show up in other languages, but only English has the meaning of "sharp" — relating to "an edge or blade." Keen has a lot of close — and brutal — synonyms, such as caustic, cutting, piercing, and penetrating. It can also be used as a verb to mean "express grief or pain out loud."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

keen keens keener keenest keened keening

But evidence is exciting researchers, and they’re keen to learn more.

From Slate ● Nov. 1, 2026

Huang could be beneficial to an intelligence official keen on getting a sense of Trump’s thinking on U.S. strategy as it relates to chips, according to Bresnick.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 31, 2026

Caution persists regarding potential new waves of volatility in French government bonds, or OATs, “given uncertainties about next protests, budget negotiations and investors not yet keen to add a lot of risk,” they say.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 30, 2026

"He's always been very very up for what we've suggested in terms of the training, he's really keen to work hard."

From BBC ● Oct. 28, 2026

Jo’s keen eyes were rather dim for a minute, and her thin face grew rosy in the firelight as she received her father’s praise, feeling that she did deserve a portion of it.

From "Little Women" by Louisa May Alcott

Dr Caulfield said she was "delighted” to see Róis “proudly performing her keens to full houses, with no shame or stigmatisation involved, just audiences loving her bravery and skill".

From BBC ● Dec. 31, 2025

Benjamin Wallfisch’s score keens and groans ominously, sometimes dipping into synthy electronic moments.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 14, 2024

In gratitude, Page tattooed "c keens" – his nickname for Keener – on his body.

From Salon ● Jun. 2, 2022

She’s got a beaten-up suitcase at her feet and keens softly into her lap.

From Seattle Times ● Aug. 14, 2019

A sound I didn’t know I could make keens out of me.

From "Ghost Boys" by Jewell Parker Rhodes

A startup now wants dogs to have a similar advantage, genetically modifying man’s best friend to make them run faster, have a keener sense of smell and avoid common genetic conditions.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 23, 2026

When it comes to courting the EU, Canada appears to some to be even keener than one of the bloc's closest neighbours.

From BBC ● Sep. 15, 2026

And keener senses tend to make for more consequential experiences.

From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 22, 2026

Dior designer Jonathan Anderson appeared keener than most to take some risks.

From Barron's ● Jan. 25, 2026

Mr. Darcy’s shameful boast of what misery he had been able to inflict, gave her a keener sense of her sister’s sufferings.

From "Pride and Prejudice" by Jane Austen

Tennis is a sport that rewards our keenest attention.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 3, 2026

Among the candidates for Fed chairman, Kevin Warsh seems keenest to abandon the current regime.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 18, 2025

For our money, Jim is both the funniest and keenest politics writer in the United States—which is to say, readers, your long national nightmare is over!

From Slate ● Aug. 30, 2025

For five years it hosted the country's finest and keenest skateboarders, witnessing flips and tricks as a new subculture boomed in popularity.

From BBC ● Aug. 20, 2025

It was said he had the keenest eyes in the Night's Watch.

From "A Clash of Kings" by George R.R. Martin

But whether the wind produced a lion’s roar, or merely keened or whistled or hummed, at its peak it was clocked by the National Weather Service at Reagan National Airport at 29 mph.

From Washington Post ● Feb. 29, 2020

Well, the souls howled and keened, as distressed souls are known to do, since they understood that a garden that nobody visited was not worth cultivating.

From The New Yorker ● Apr. 22, 2019

While the violin lines of “Where Are U Now” keened behind him, his face was slick with sweat.

From Los Angeles Times ● May 10, 2015

The metal structure keened its mournful note again.

From The Guardian ● Mar. 18, 2013

Maalu keened in pain and disappeared below the surface.

From "The Boy Who Met a Whale" by Nizrana Farook

Occasionally, Göransson adds a lovely monotone layer of woodwinds or a keening chorus that sounds like the oldest song on Earth.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 15, 2026

Gilgamesh’s lament is not the stylized keening of epic tradition—not Achilles’ highfalutin howls after Hector strikes down Patroclus—but something rawer, humbler, more recognizably human.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 24, 2026

As such, there's little to compare with the straightforward joy of Watermelon Sugar, or the keening desire of As It Was - but Styles isn't stupid enough to alienate his fanbase entirely.

From BBC ● Mar. 4, 2026

Shift to Sport mode and the engine will hold at a high, keening rpm, trying to charge the battery faster than the driver can drain it.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 25, 2025

Before I can make up my mind about him, I become aware that there are others moving toward the place, drawn by the old man’s keening.

From "Grendel" by John Gardner

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