eagerness

American  

[ee-ger-nis] / ˈi gər nɪs /

noun

1. in an earnest, ardent, or eager way; keenness.

   The professor’s love for the topic, and her eagerness to share it with others, comes across in every word of every lecture.

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Etymology

Origin of eagerness

eager ( def. ) + -ness ( def. )

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Explanation

Eagerness is a characteristic of being excited and prepared to do something. Shooting your hand in the air and shouting, "Me! Me!" when your teacher asks for a volunteer is a good way to show your eagerness. A basketball team displays its eagerness by running onto the court at the start of the game, and a puppy's eagerness to lick your face and nibble your fingers is either the cutest thing about it, or one of the many reasons you don't like puppies. Eagerness and eager are both positive words, but in the thirteenth century eager meant "fierce or angry," and it shares a Latin root with the sour word acrid, or "bitter."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

eagerness

But they also indicate an eagerness to learn, a will that makes Mona’s eventual callback after Serena Cherry drops out of the show seem almost like manifestation.

From Salon ● Oct. 12, 2026

At G20 trade talks in Milwaukee, Greer struck a conciliatory tone, saying there was an "eagerness on both sides to work together" on the diesel issue.

From Barron's ● Oct. 2, 2026

In that moment, our eagerness must have seemed like her reward.

From Slate ● Sep. 3, 2026

Baleba should give Carrick's side additional athleticism and the Cameroon international's eagerness to make the move north helped speed up the transfer.

From BBC ● Aug. 21, 2026

There was an eagerness in the air to please by being creative.

From "Atonement" by Ian McEwan

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Related Words

• ambition
• ardor
• excitement
• fervor
• hunger
• impatience
• keenness
• longing
• thirst
• yearning
• zeal

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