keen

[ keen ]

/ kin /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR keen ON THESAURUS.COM

adjective, keen·er, keen·est.

finely sharpened, as an edge; so shaped as to cut or pierce substances readily: a keen razor.

sharp, piercing, or biting: a keen wind; keen satire.

characterized by strength and distinctness of perception; extremely sensitive or responsive: keen eyes; keen ears.

having or showing great mental penetration or acumen: keen reasoning; a keen mind.

animated by or showing strong feeling or desire: keen competition.

intense, as feeling or desire: keen ambition; keen jealousy.

eager; interested; enthusiastic (often followed by about, on, etc., or an infinitive): She is really keen on going swimming.

Slang. great; wonderful; marvelous.

Nearby words

keelie, keeling islands, keelless, keelson, keelung, keen, keen about, be, keene, keene's cement, keener, keening

Origin of keen

before 900; 1930–35 for def 8; Middle English kene, Old English cēne; cognate with German kühn, Old High German chuoni bold, Old Norse kœnn wise, skillful

SYNONYMS FOR keen

1, 4 See sharp.

2 cutting, bitter, caustic.

3 piercing, penetrating, acute.

4 discerning, acute, astute, sagacious, shrewd, clever.

5 See avid.

7 earnest, fervid.

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR keen ON THESAURUS.COM

ANTONYMS FOR keen

1, 3, 4 dull.

SEE MORE ANTONYMS FOR keen ON THESAURUS.COM

Related formskeen·ly, adverbkeen·ness, noun

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for keenest

Lest we forget, the Republican candidate in 2012 with the keenest interest in technology was Texas Governor Rick Perry.
Stuart Stevens, Half Right|David Frum|February 25, 2013|DAILY BEAST
If she were a real person, Daria, who had the keenest eye for irony of her generation, would just love that.
The Revenge of Daria|Rebecca Dana|May 15, 2010|DAILY BEAST
Truly, if the lash of remorse had lacked its keenest thong, this passionate outburst of his would have added it.
The Master of Appleby|Francis Lynde
The reciprocal movement of these two cylinders is therefore a matter which demands the keenest possible attention.
Practical Lithography|Alfred Seymour

There had been none of that poison-drop in which the keenest shafts of fate are dipped, "the looking for of evil."
The International Monthly, Volume 3, No. 3, June, 1851|Various
His sight is keenest in the dusk and by night; his sense of smell is deficient but his hearing is extremely acute.
Birds and all Nature, Vol. V, No. 1, January 1899|Various
They who have not good coats themselves have the keenest eyes for the coats of their better-clad neighbours.
Rachel Ray|Anthony Trollope

British Dictionary definitions for keenest (1 of 2)

keen

/ (kiːn) /

adjective

eager or enthusiastic

(postpositive foll by on) fond (of); devoted (to)keen on a girl; keen on golf

intellectually acutea keen wit

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

having a sharp cutting edge or point

extremely cold and penetratinga keen wind

intense or stronga keen desire

mainly British extremely low so as to be competitivekeen prices

slang, mainly US and Canadian very good

Derived Formskeenly, adverbkeenness, noun

Word Origin for keen

Old English cēne; related to Old High German kuoni brave, Old Norse koenn wise; see can 1, know

British Dictionary definitions for keenest (2 of 2)

keen

/ (kiːn) /

verb (intr)

to lament the dead

noun

a dirge or lament for the dead

Derived Formskeener, noun

Word Origin for keen

C19: from Irish Gaelic caoine, from Old Irish coīnim I wail

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for keenest (1 of 2)

keen

adj.

c.1200, from Old English cene "bold brave," later "clever, wise," from Proto-Germanic *kan- "be able to" (see can). Original prehistoric senses seem to have been both "brave" and "skilled;" cognate with Old Norse kænn "skillful, wise," Middle Dutch coene "bold," Dutch koen, Old High German kuon "pugnacious, strong," German kühn "bold, daring." Sense of "eager" is from mid-14c. The meaning "sharp" is peculiar to English: of blades and edges early 13c., of sounds c.1400, of eyesight c.1720. A popular word of approval in teenager and student slang from c.1900.

Word Origin and History for keenest (1 of 2)

keen

"lament," 1811, from Irish caoinim "I weep, wail, lament," from Old Irish coinim "I wail." Related: Keened; keening. As a noun from 1830.

keen

adjective, keen·er, keen·est.

RELATED WORDS

Nearby words

Origin of keen

Examples from the Web for keenest

British Dictionary definitions for keenest (1 of 2)

keen

adjective

Word Origin for keen

British Dictionary definitions for keenest (2 of 2)

keen

verb (intr)

noun

Word Origin for keen

Word Origin and History for keenest (1 of 2)

keen

Word Origin and History for keenest (1 of 2)

keen