I. keen 1 S3 W3 /kiːn/ BrE AmE adjective
[ Word Family: noun : ↑ keenness ; adverb : ↑ keenly ; adjective : ↑ keen ]
[ Language: Old English ; Origin: cene ]
1 . WANT SOMETHING especially British English wanting to do something or wanting something to happen very much SYN eager
keen to do something
He told me that he was keen to help.
keen on doing something
I wasn’t keen on going there on my own.
keen for something to happen
The government is keen for peace talks to start again.
keen that
The chairman is keen that the company should expand its product range.
2 . LIKE be keen on somebody/something British English spoken to like someone or something:
I’m not keen on cabbage.
not too/not very/not that keen on something
She likes Biology, but she’s not too keen on Physics.
My flatmates want to have a party, but I’m not keen on the idea.
3 . HOBBY/INTEREST especially British English someone who is keen on something is very interested in it or enjoys doing it very much:
a keen photographer
keen golfers
keen on
Daniel’s very keen on tennis.
mad keen on something (=very keen on something) spoken :
I was mad keen on dinosaurs when I was little.
She takes a keen interest in politics and current affairs.
4 . EAGER TO WORK/LEARN someone who is keen is eager to work or learn, and enjoys doing it:
keen students
The kids in my class are all very keen.
She was new in the job and keen as mustard (=very keen) .
5 . SIGHT/SMELL/HEARING a keen sense of smell or keen sight or hearing is an extremely good ability to smell etc:
Dogs have a very keen sense of smell.
She has a keen eye for (=is good at noticing) talent.
6 . MIND someone with a keen mind is quick to understand things:
a keen understanding of commerce
With her keen mind and good business sense, she soon became noticed.
7 . FEELING a keen feeling is one that is strong and deep:
As she walked away, Joe felt a keen sense of loss.
8 . COMPETITION used to describe a situation in which people compete strongly:
We won the contest in the face of keen competition.
9 . ATTRACTED British English be keen on somebody to be sexually attracted to someone
10 . SHARP literary a keen knife or blade is extremely sharp
11 . WIND old-fashioned a keen wind is cold and strong
12 . PRICES British English keen prices are low
—keenly adverb :
I was keenly aware of the dangers.
—keenness noun [uncountable]
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THESAURUS
▪ enthusiastic feeling or showing a lot of interest or excitement about something:
He’s really enthusiastic about his new job.
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An enthusiastic crowd cheered the team onto the pitch.
▪ eager wanting to do something or know about something very soon:
He was eager to hear every detail of her day.
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She was always eager for her turn on the catwalk.
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The room was full of eager young faces.
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We waited in eager anticipation.
▪ keen eager to work or learn:
She hasn’t much experience but she’s very keen.
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John was a keen student who worked very hard.
▪ zealous doing something in a very enthusiastic way, especially supporting something or making sure that people obey rules :
She was a zealous supporter of the revolution.
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The company has been extremely zealous in defending its interests.
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Officials have been very zealous in the application of the new regulations.
▪ avid [only before noun] written used when you want to emphasize that someone does something a lot or is very interested in something:
an avid golfer
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She was an avid reader all her life.
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I’ve become an avid collector of his work.
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Henry is an avid fan of the sport.
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As a schoolboy he had an avid interest in birds.
▪ fervent written believing or feeling something very strongly and sincerely:
Galinsoga was one of Franco’s most fervent supporters.
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One of Allen 's fervent admirers was Richard Nixon.
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her fervent belief in promoting the work of good women artists
▪ be mad about something British English informal to like something very much and be very interested in it:
My sister’s mad about horses.
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Since you’re so mad about clothes, you can help me choose a wedding dress.
▪ can’t wait to do something to be very eager to do something:
I can’t wait to get started.
▪ be looking forward to something to feel pleased and excited because you know that something is going to happen soon:
I’m looking forward to the vacation.
II. keen 2 BrE AmE verb [intransitive]
old use to sing a loud sad song for someone who has died