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Definition of "keen" []

  • Having a fine, sharp cutting edge or point. (adjective)
  • Having or marked by intellectual quickness and acuity. See Synonyms at sharp. (adjective)
  • Acutely sensitive: a keen ear. (adjective)
  • Sharp; vivid; strong: "His entire body hungered for keen sensation, something exciting” ( Richard Wright). (adjective)
  • Intense; piercing: a keen wind. (adjective)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

Use "keen" in a sentence
  • "At the same time she had not keen, she had only absorbing feelings of her rights; there was nothing _keen_ in lady Ann; neither sense nor desire, neither hope nor fear, neither joy nor sorrow, neither love nor hate."
  • "Japan's prime minister is expressing what he calls keen remorse and heartfelt apologies for his country's role in World War II."
  • "It was still raining in torrents after lunch, and Thomas, who is not what I call keen about golf, preferred to remain before the fire."