keen
adjective
finely sharpened, as an edge; so shaped as to cut or pierce substances readily.
keened
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past participleof keen.past participle
A verb form used in perfect and passive verb constructions and that can also function as a modifier.
-
past tense formof keen.past tense
Used to describe completed actions or previous habitual actions.
keenadjectivefinely sharpened, as an edge; so shaped as to cut or pierce substances readily.
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.
Amid the nonstop drumbeat of hundreds of feet walking together, bagpipes keened, striking an appropriately dignified tone.
From Los Angeles Times β Sep. 19, 2022
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 β Feb. 29, 2020
As the truck made its way across the square, women and children spilled out of their houses, sat down in the dirt, and keened.
From The New Yorker β Jan. 12, 2015
The metal structure keened its mournful note again.
From The Guardian β Mar. 18, 2013
It was like the whistling of a piccolo many times magnified—shrill and shriller till it keened with the terror of a lost soul and filled the room with the piercingness of itself.
From "I, Robot" by Isaac Asimov
