keenly

[keen-lee]

adverb

1. in a way or to a degree that is very sharply or distinctly felt.

   As a husband and father, he is keenly aware of the risks inherent in his new construction job.

2. in a way that shows great mental perceptiveness or insight.

   He showed foreign policy savvy and an ability to keenly analyze both sides of an issue.

3. with strong or intense emotion or desire; eagerly.

   We committee members are keenly interested in addressing these important issues head-on.

4. in a sharply focused way; intently.

   Participants listened keenly to the training presentation.

Word History and Origins

Origin of keenly¹

First recorded before 1000; keen ¹ ( def. ) + -ly ( def. )

Example Sentences

Pulitzer Prize-winning author Mary Oliver, who died in 2019, described her keenly observed poems as “little alleluias” to the natural world that surrounds us.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

But company executives are keenly interested in Warner Bros., believing it would make a dream fit with NBCUniversal’s entertainment operations, including its theme parks.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Now she knew how to use crampons and a pickax to scale a glacier, and was keenly aware of how cautious one must be around cannibals.

Read more on Literature

Traders are keenly awaiting the release of several reports -- including on jobs and inflation -- that had been held up by the record government shutdown that ended last week.

Read more on Barron's

He is keenly aware of the limits of his power.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• ably 
• adroitly 
• artfully www.thesaurus.com
• carefully 
• cleverly www.thesaurus.com
• coolly www.thesaurus.com
• deftly 
• deliberately 
• intelligently www.thesaurus.com
• judiciously 
• knowingly www.thesaurus.com
• skillfully www.thesaurus.com
• slyly 
• smartly