eager

adjective

ea·​ger ˈē-gər How to pronounce eager (audio)
1
: marked by enthusiastic or impatient desire or interest
2
a
archaic : sharp
b
obsolete : sour
eagerly adverb
eagerness noun
Choose the Right Synonym for eager

eager, avid, keen, anxious, athirst mean moved by a strong and urgent desire or interest.

eager implies ardor and enthusiasm and sometimes impatience at delay or restraint.

eager to get started

avid adds to eager the implication of insatiability or greed.

avid for new thrills

keen suggests intensity of interest and quick responsiveness in action.

keen on the latest fashions

anxious emphasizes fear of frustration or failure or disappointment.

anxious not to make a social blunder

athirst stresses yearning but not necessarily readiness for action.

athirst for adventure

Examples of eager in a Sentence

… wine connoisseurs eager to visit cellars and late-fall pilgrims seeking the increasingly rare white truffle … Corby Kummer, Atlantic, August 2000
… so many religions were steeped in an absolutist frame of mind—each convinced that it alone had a monopoly on the truth and therefore eager for the state to impose this truth on others. Carl Sagan, The Demon-Haunted World, 1996
She was eager to get started. The crowd was eager for more.
Recent Examples on the Web The fondest passages concern his first steps as an eager but untrained journalist at Interview and the Village Voice, and his friendships with countercultural and literary figures, from Candy Darling to Jamaica Kincaid. The New Yorker, 7 Oct. 2024 For those eager to join but not yet invited, Meta has provided an option to express interest through Facebook's official content monetization page. Ian Shepherd, Forbes, 7 Oct. 2024 Minicars have also found eager buyers in Asian nations such as China, where the Wuling Mini EV, costing well under $10,000, was for a time the country’s most popular electric vehicle. Andy Kalmowitz / Jalopnik, Quartz, 4 Oct. 2024 During his tenure as governor, Walz has maintained a relationship with local journalists as an accessible politician eager to answer questions during informal remarks with the media, press conferences, and one-on-one interviews. Sam Woodward, USA TODAY, 3 Oct. 2024 See all Example Sentences for eager 

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'eager.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Middle English egre, from Anglo-French egre, aigre, from Latin acer — more at edge

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of eager was in the 14th century

Dictionary Entries Near eager

Cite this Entry

“Eager.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/eager. Accessed 13 Oct. 2024.

Kids Definition

eager

adjective
ea·​ger ˈē-gər How to pronounce eager (audio)
: having or showing an impatient or enthusiastic desire or interest
was eager to get going
eagerly adverb
eagerness noun
Etymology

Middle English egre "sharp, sour, keen," from early French aigre (same meaning), from Latin acer (same meaning) — related to vinegar

More from Merriam-Webster on eager

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