keen
1 Americanadjective
-
finely sharpened, as an edge; so shaped as to cut or pierce substances readily.
a keen razor.
- Antonyms:
- dull
-
sharp, piercing, or biting.
a keen wind;
keen satire.
-
characterized by strength and distinctness of perception; extremely sensitive or responsive.
keen eyes;
keen ears.
- Synonyms:
- acute, penetrating, piercing
-
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.
noun
verb (used without object)
verb (used with object)
adjective
-
eager or enthusiastic
-
fond (of); devoted (to)
keen on a girl
keen on golf
-
intellectually acute
a keen wit
-
(of sight, smell, hearing, etc) capable of recognizing fine distinctions
-
having a sharp cutting edge or point
-
extremely cold and penetrating
a keen wind
-
intense or strong
a keen desire
-
extremely low so as to be competitive
keen prices
-
slang very good
verb
noun
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
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Adjectives
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
keensimple
-
keenssimple
-
have keenedperfect
-
has keenedperfect
-
am keeningprogressive
-
are keeningprogressive
-
is keeningprogressive
-
have been keeningperfect progressive
-
has been keeningperfect progressive
Past
-
keenedsimple
-
had keenedperfect
-
was keeningprogressive
-
were keeningprogressive
-
had been keeningperfect progressive
Future
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
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."
Vocabulary lists containing keen
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Unit 1: Telling Details
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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.
See Examples For:
The 35-year-old is keen on moving to Stamford Bridge and there is optimism from Chelsea's side that a deal can be concluded.
From BBC ● Jul. 27, 2026
But she is keen to stress that does not mean there are "no good men out there".
From BBC ● Jul. 25, 2026
Around small cities and suburbs, the predators follow their keen sense of smell to dumpsters, cars and homes.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 23, 2026
Hull are keen on Leon Bailey but that may have to be an initial loan given the Tigers' own finances, while Evann Guessand can also depart.
From BBC ● Jul. 23, 2026
“I have saved the lives of many people, and not one is my friend. If anything, many of them seemed keen to avoid me later.”
From "Impossible Creatures" by Katherine Rundell
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
Personally, I would be much keener to boast about that one.
From BBC ● Jun. 22, 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
The magic is unique and often biological—many characters have mental or physical enhancements that give them perfect memory or keener senses.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 12, 2025
But he was much keener than he was prepared to admit on getting out of this place as soon as possible.
From "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince" by J.K. Rowling
The event was hosted by Wendy Cutler, a veteran American trade negotiator and one of Washington’s keenest observers of Asian trade policy.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 21, 2026
Not surprisingly, those countries keenest to see it deployed quickly - including Poland and Finland- are those geographically closest to Russia.
From BBC ● Nov. 16, 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
The most exciting auteurs are the keenest readers of plays.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 9, 2024
When she was about to finish, when my interest was keenest, when I was lost to the world around me, Granny stepped briskly onto the porch.
From "Black Boy" by Richard Wright
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
Above, the wind keened through the Wailing Tower.
From "A Clash of Kings" by George R.R. Martin
Only a handful of authentic keening songs were recorded from traditional singers, which Róis referenced on the record.
From BBC ● Dec. 31, 2025
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
When I set out to write this, I admit, I meant it to be as rueful as Earl’s keening deathbed monologue about “the goddamn regret.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 6, 2024
Mr. Sonnier’s virtuoso accordion work and his vocals, by turns keening and supple, infused the country airwaves in the late 1980s with Cajun, rock, swamp-pop and jazz sensibilities.
From New York Times ● Jan. 26, 2024
She bucks her head, her knotted blonde hair whipping at her back as she cries out, a keening, animal wail.
From "An Ember in the Ashes" by Sabaa Tahir
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.
