finely sharpened, as an edge; so shaped as to cut or pierce substances readily: a keen razor.
sharp, piercing, or biting: a keen wind; keen satire.
characterized by strength and distinctness of perception; extremely sensitive or responsive: keen eyes; keen ears.
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.
Slang. great; wonderful; marvelous.
Origin of keen
1
First recorded before 900; 1930–35 for def. 8; Middle English kene, Old English cēne; cognate with German kühn, Old High German chuoni bold, Old Norse kœnn “wise, skillful”
That’s not good for a leader like Xi, keen to rule for life.
Butterfly Effect: Can Xi Avoid Trump’s Trap?|Charu Kasturi|August 27, 2020|Ozy
Sorkin is keen to stress that passion and persistence matter more than talent and the value of visualizing dreams before they become reality.
How CNBC’s Andrew Ross Sorkin Would Close the Wealth Gap|Eromo Egbejule|August 26, 2020|Ozy
While countries are keen to build up scant domestic manufacturing capacity, it’s a costly and complex business, and difficult to compete with larger producers, Gavi’s Berkley said.
These countries aren’t waiting for a U.S., China, or U.K. COVID vaccine|Claire Zillman, reporter|August 26, 2020|Fortune
Like young adults who are keen to leave home at age 18, young leopards migrate in order to begin their family and establish territorial control over new areas.
Leopards Are Indeed Changing Their Spots|Eromo Egbejule|August 14, 2020|Ozy
For the last few months, Facebook, keen to look like it’s working with credible publishing sources, has paid Upday journalists to populate its Coronavirus Information Center.
Investments in journalism, algorithms has Axel Springer’s five-year-old aggregator app Upday up over 30% in ad revenue|Lucinda Southern|July 30, 2020|Digiday
Would a state with a keen understanding of the power of propaganda be so willing to just throw away such a trove of information?
No, North Korea Didn’t Hack Sony|Marc Rogers|December 24, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Manttan is keen to carry out research on that Burmese side of the railway as his father worked on that section.
Riding Thailand’s WWII Death Railway|Liza Foreman|December 21, 2014|DAILY BEAST
And because millions of us are so keen to do just that, our behavioral habits are changing.
Why Every Home Needs a Drone This Holiday|Charlie Gilbert|December 8, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The Telegraph reports that he is fluent in Swahili and a keen zoologist.
How A British Aristocrat Used Big Game Hunter’s Sperm To Get Pregnant Without His Permission|Tom Sykes|December 2, 2014|DAILY BEAST
What results is a kind of mashup concert, a virtuoso mixed-media DJ set tuned to a keen emotional pitch.
War Is About More Than Heroes, Martyrs, and Patriots|Nathan Bradley Bethea|November 12, 2014|DAILY BEAST
His eyelids droop slightly, but his eyes are keen and his expression astute.
Loyalties (Fifth Series Plays)|John Galsworthy
He looked at her keen, questioning, and she bleached to the lips.
The Lost Pibroch|Neil Munro
Beneath this disguise was concealed a keen knowledge of art, combined with a ferocious skill in bargaining.
A Zola Dictionary|J. G. Patterson
Alice darted a keen look on the Duke, as if to read his meaning; another on Charles, to know whether she had guessed it rightly.
Peveril of the Peak|Sir Walter Scott
But perhaps the surprise, annoyance and keen disappointment broke his soldierly heart.
Punch, or the London Charivari, Vol. 153, Sept. 19, 1917|Various
British Dictionary definitions for keen (1 of 2)
keen1
/ (kiːn) /
adjective
eager or enthusiastic
(postpositive foll by on) fond (of); devoted (to)keen on a girl; keen on golf
intellectually acutea keen wit
(of sight, smell, hearing, etc) capable of recognizing fine distinctions
having a sharp cutting edge or point
extremely cold and penetratinga keen wind
intense or stronga keen desire
mainlyBritishextremely low so as to be competitivekeen prices
slang, mainlyUS and Canadianvery good
Derived forms of keen
keenly, adverbkeenness, noun
Word Origin for keen
Old English cēne; related to Old High German kuoni brave, Old Norse koenn wise; see can1, know
British Dictionary definitions for keen (2 of 2)
keen2
/ (kiːn) /
verb(intr)
to lament the dead
noun
a dirge or lament for the dead
Derived forms of keen
keener, noun
Word Origin for keen
C19: from Irish Gaelic caoine, from Old Irish coīnim I wail