keen

keen ¹  (kn)

adj. keen·er, keen·est

1. Having a fine, sharp cutting edge or point.

2. Having or marked by intellectual quickness and acuity. See Synonyms at sharp.

3. Acutely sensitive: a keen ear.

4. Sharp; vivid; strong: "His entire body hungered for keen sensation, something exciting" Richard Wright.

5. Intense; piercing: a keen wind.

6. Pungent; acrid: A keen smell of skunk was left behind.

7.

a. Ardent; enthusiastic: a keen chess player.

b. Eagerly desirous: keen on going to Europe in the spring.

8. Slang Great; splendid; fine: What a keen day!

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[Middle English kene, from Old English cne, brave.]

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keenly adv.

keenness n.

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keen ¹

Adjective

1. eager or enthusiastic: a keen gardener

2. keen on fond of; devoted to: he is very keen on sport

3. intense or strong: a keen interest in environmental issues

4. intelligent, quick, and perceptive: a keen sense of humour

5. (of sight, smell, or hearing) capable of recognizing fine distinctions

6. (of a knife or blade) having a sharp cutting edge

7. very strong and cold: a keen wind

8. very competitive: keen prices [Old English cēne]

keenly adv
keenness n

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keen ²

Verb

to lament the dead

Noun

a lament for the dead [Irish Gaelic caoine]

Thesaurus

Noun	1.	keen - a funeral lament sung with loud wailing coronach, dirge, requiem, threnody, lament - a song or hymn of mourning composed or performed as a memorial to a dead person Emerald Isle, Hibernia, Ireland - an island comprising the republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland
Verb	1.	keen - express grief verbally; "we lamented the death of the child" lament express emotion, express feelings - give verbal or other expression to one's feelings
Adj.	1.	keen - having or demonstrating ability to recognize or draw fine distinctions; "an acute observer of politics and politicians"; "incisive comments"; "icy knifelike reasoning"; "as sharp and incisive as the stroke of a fang"; "penetrating insight"; "frequent penetrative observations" incisive, penetrating, penetrative, piercing, knifelike, discriminating, acute, sharp perceptive - having the ability to perceive or understand; keen in discernment; "a perceptive eye"; "a perceptive observation"
	2.	keen - intense or sharp; "suffered exquisite pain"; "felt exquisite pleasure" exquisite intense - possessing or displaying a distinctive feature to a heightened degree; "intense heat"; "intense anxiety"; "intense desire"; "intense emotion"; "the skunk's intense acrid odor"; "intense pain"; "enemy fire was intense"
	3.	keen - very good; "he did a bully job"; "a neat sports car"; "had a great time at the party"; "you look simply smashing" bang-up, bully, corking, cracking, dandy, nifty, not bad, peachy, slap-up, smashing, swell, groovy, great, neat colloquialism - a colloquial expression; characteristic of spoken or written communication that seeks to imitate informal speech good - having desirable or positive qualities especially those suitable for a thing specified; "good news from the hospital"; "a good report card"; "when she was good she was very very good"; "a good knife is one good for cutting"; "this stump will make a good picnic table"; "a good check"; "a good joke"; "a good exterior paint"; "a good secretary"; "a good dress for the office"
	4.	keen - painful as if caused by a sharp instrument; "a cutting wind"; "keen winds"; "knifelike cold"; "piercing knifelike pains"; "piercing cold"; "piercing criticism"; "a stabbing pain"; "lancinating pain" lancinate, lancinating, piercing, stabbing, cutting, knifelike sharp - keenly and painfully felt; as if caused by a sharp edge or point; "a sharp pain"; "sharp winds"
	5.	keen - having a sharp cutting edge or point; "a keen blade" sharp - having or made by a thin edge or sharp point; suitable for cutting or piercing; "a sharp knife"; "a pencil with a sharp point"

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keen ¹

adjective 1. eager, earnest, spirited, devoted, intense, fierce, enthusiastic, passionate, ardent, avid, fervent, impassioned, zealous, ebullient, wholehearted, fervid, bright-eyed and bushy-tailed (informal) << OPPOSITE unenthusiastic

adjective 2. earnest, fierce, intense, vehement, burning, flaming, consuming, eager, passionate, heightened, energetic, ardent, fanatical, fervent, impassioned, fervid

adjective 3. sharp, satirical, incisive, trenchant, pointed, cutting, biting, edged, acute, acid, stinging, piercing, penetrating, searing, tart, withering, scathing, pungent, sarcastic, sardonic, caustic, astringent, vitriolic, acerbic, mordant, razor-like, finely honed << OPPOSITE dull

adjective 4. perceptive, quick, sharp, brilliant, acute, smart, wise, clever, subtle, piercing, penetrating, discriminating, shrewd, discerning, ingenious, astute, intuitive, canny, incisive, insightful, observant, perspicacious, sapient << OPPOSITE obtuse

adjective 5. penetrating, clear, powerful, sharp, acute, sensitive, piercing, discerning, perceptive, observant

adjective 6. intense, strong, fierce, relentless, cut-throat

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keen ²

verb lament, cry, weep, sob, mourn, grieve, howl, sorrow, wail, whine, whimper, bewail

Translations

keen [kiːn] adj [interest, desire] → grande, vivo; [eye, intelligence] → agudo; [competition] → intenso; [edge] → afilado;

(BRIT) (= eager); entusiasta;

to be keen to do or on doing sth → tener muchas ganas de hacer algo;

to be keen on sth/sb → interesarse por algo/algn;

I'm not keen on going → no tengo ganas de ir

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keen [kiːn] adj (= eager) → plein(e) d'enthousiasme; [interest, desire, competition] → vif(vive); [eye, intelligence] → pénétrant(e); [edge] → effilé(e);

to be keen to do or on doing sth → désirer vivement faire qch, tenir beaucoup à faire qch;

to be keen on sth/sb → aimer beaucoup qch/qn;

I'm not keen on going → je ne suis pas chaud pour y aller, je n'ai pas très envie d'y aller

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keen [kiːn] adj → begeistert, eifrig;

(interest) → groß;

(desire) → heftig;

(eye, intelligence, competition, edge) → scharf;

to be keen to do or on doing sth → scharf darauf sein, etw zu tun (inf);

to be keen on sth → an etw dat sehr interessiert sein;

to be keen on sb → von jdm sehr angetan sein;

I'm not keen on going → ich brenne nicht gerade darauf, zu gehen

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keen [kiːn] adj [interest, desire] → vivo/a; [eye, intelligence] → acuto/a; [competition] → serrato/a; [edge] → affilato/a (= eager); entusiasta;

to be keen to do or on doing sth → avere una gran voglia di fare qc;

to be keen on sth → essere appassionato/a di qc;

to be keen on sb → avere un debole per qn;

I'm not keen on going → non mi va di andare