keen
1 Americanadjective
-
keener,
comparative
-
keenest
superlative
-
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
-
keens
plural
verb (used without object)
-
keens,
present (3rd person singular)
-
keened,
past participle, past
-
keening
present participle
verb (used with object)
-
keens,
present (3rd person singular)
-
keened,
past participle, past
-
keening
present participle
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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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:
Labour ministers have been keen to sidestep talking about the impact of alignment in particular sectors, instead stressing the overall economic boost it expects the food deal to bring.
From BBC ● Nov. 6, 2026
He is particularly keen on PulteGroup, which is less exposed than other builders to more-rate-sensitive, first-time home buyers.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 5, 2026
But evidence is exciting researchers, and they’re keen to learn more.
From Slate ● Nov. 1, 2026
Huang could be beneficial to an intelligence official keen on getting a sense of Trump’s thinking on U.S. strategy as it relates to chips, according to Bresnick.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 31, 2026
Indisposed to hesitate, and full of impatient impulses—soul and senses quivering with keen throes—I put it back and looked in.
From "Jane Eyre" by Charlotte Brontë
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
The new startup wants to genetically modify man’s best friend to make them run faster, have a keener sense of smell and avoid common genetic conditions.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 30, 2026
Dior designer Jonathan Anderson appeared keener than most to take some risks.
From Barron's ● Jan. 25, 2026
It's not hard to imagine which one the family of the time was keener to remember.
From BBC ● Jul. 6, 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
Our interest in each other was never keener than during the fifteen minutes before the first bell of the first day.
From "Stargirl" by Jerry Spinelli
Among professionals in any field, Ms. Margolles is one of the keenest observers of the politics and social climate surrounding the border.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 30, 2026
The HMV store on Fargate in Sheffield then opened at midnight to give the band's keenest fans an early opportunity to get their hands on the album.
From BBC ● Jan. 23, 2026
But niche pleasures, for those who partake in them, are often the keenest.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 28, 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
“I was absorbed, sir: yes, and I was happy. To paint them, in short, was to enjoy one of the keenest pleasures I have ever known.”
From "Jane Eyre" by Charlotte Brontë
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
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
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
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 she sang on Coleman’s 1972 LP “Science Fiction” — keening improvisation cutting through a ferocious band — the sax legend gave her a warning about America.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 30, 2024
As soon as the verdict had been announced, she’d heard a terrible keening, so sharp she’d clamped her hands over her ears and collapsed into a ball.
From "Little Fires Everywhere" by Celeste Ng
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