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:
Meanwhile, Brighton striker Welbeck is 35 and keen to move to Stamford Bridge, and Brentford and England midfielder Henderson is 36.
From BBC ● Jul. 28, 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
Divers have said are keen to see the diving pools brought back into use and and water polo and underwater hockey players are hopeful the 50m pool could host matches and tournaments.
From BBC ● Jul. 23, 2026
Pomroy is keen to stress that Nauru Soccer is not trying to "force football down everyone's throat" but says it's about laying a foundation for a sport, promoting healthy lifestyles and building communities.
From BBC ● Jul. 21, 2026
Never had my efforts met with such attentiveness, such keen solicitude.
From "The Secret History" by Donna Tartt
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
Behind the action a stringed instrument keens in a low register and a piano riff trembles in a gentle minor key.
From Salon ● Jan. 3, 2021
She’s got a beaten-up suitcase at her feet and keens softly into her lap.
From Seattle Times ● Aug. 14, 2019
The priests walk slowly around the pyre, saying antique prayers, and the crowd, all in black, ignoring the black priests, keens.
From "Grendel" by John Gardner
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
What they were keener to talk about was life in Henderson, a city they’d lived in and loved for a long time now—including for the MMA connection.
From Slate ● Oct. 31, 2024
Since then, Williams has been a night owl — and an even keener student of the game, of the Rams’ offense and of upcoming opponents.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 24, 2023
‘Yes,’ said Strider, whose keener sight left him in no doubt.
From "The Fellowship of the Ring" by J.R.R. Tolkien
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
The party congress offers a rare glimpse into the structure of political power in North Korea, which remains highly secretive even to the keenest watchers.
From BBC ● Feb. 22, 2026
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
I have the keenest sense of deja vu.
From "The Girl on the Train" by Paula Hawkins
“My boy, my little boy, come home to us, my little boy,” she keened over the body.
From New York Times ● Jan. 29, 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 ● Feb. 29, 2020
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
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 ● Jan. 12, 2015
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
Occasionally, Göransson adds a lovely monotone layer of woodwinds or a keening chorus that sounds like the oldest song on Earth.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 15, 2026
Gilgamesh’s lament is not the stylized keening of epic tradition—not Achilles’ highfalutin howls after Hector strikes down Patroclus—but something rawer, humbler, more recognizably human.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 24, 2026
The tone of his voice is high, a keening sound.
From BBC ● Oct. 19, 2024
After a few moments of keening in the dark, Howze reaches his denouement in song: “I’m trying to be,” he sings.
From New York Times ● Feb. 12, 2024
In the distance, the sound of keening began.
From "Messenger" by Lois Lowry
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.
