keen

CEFRB1

/kiːn/

adjective

Türkçe translations

Translating…

In plain English

  1. 01

    adjective

    Very eager, interested, or enthusiastic about something.

  2. 02

    adjective

    Extra detail

    Fierce, intense, vehement.

Examples

  • A fence between makes love more keen.

  • I was keen on classical music in my school days.

At a glance

Sits at B1 on the CEFR scale

Senses
5
Parts of speech
1
Citations
5
Synonyms
5

Also pronounced

  • /kin/

Deep Dive

adjective

Extra meanings

  1. Having a fine edge or point; sharp.

  2. Often with a prepositional phrase, or with to and an infinitive: showing a quick and ardent responsiveness or willingness; eager, enthusiastic, interested.

  3. Acute of mind, having or expressing mental acuteness; penetrating, sharp.

More examples

In context

  • John was very keen to help.

  • She’s keen to learn another language.

  • I’m keen on computers.

Synonyms

Quick test

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Nearby

Origin

adjective

From Middle English kene (“bold, brave, sharp”), from Old English cēne (“keen, fierce, bold, brave, warlike, powerful; learned, clever, wise”), from Proto-Germanic *kōniz (“knowledgeable, skilful, experienced, clever, capable”), from Proto-Indo-European *ǵneh₃- (“to know”). Cognate with Danish køn (“handsome, pretty”), Dutch kien (“smart, wise, able”), koen (“daring, valiant, doughty, courageous”), German kühn (“bold, daring, audacious, hardy, valiant, venturesome”), Icelandic kænn (“wise, crafty, clever, able”), Faroese kønur (“expert (in, on), experienced, skilful, able, capable”), Scots keen (“lively, brisk; avaricious”). Related to Old English cunnan (“to know how to, be able to”). More...