eager

adjective

ea·ger | \ ˈē-gər

Definition of eager

1 : marked by enthusiastic or impatient desire or interest

2a archaic : sharp

b obsolete : sour

Other Words from eager Synonyms & Antonyms Choose the Right Synonym Example Sentences Learn More about eager

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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

eager, anxious, and keen mean having or showing a strong desire or interest. eager is used when there is much enthusiasm and often impatience. Eager travelers waited for their train. anxious is used when there is fear of failure or disappointment. I was anxious to learn who won. keen is used when there is great interest and readiness to act. The new scouts are keen to learn.

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

Morrissey’s win is not something that Democrats seemed eager to discuss Wednesday. — Washington Post, "Virginia Democrats worry about ‘Fighting Joe’ Morrissey and his maverick ways," 12 June 2019 As such, scientists are eager to decipher the conditions that allow plate tectonics to arise. — Shannon Hall, Scientific American, "Venus, Earth’s Evil Twin, Beckons Space Agencies," 12 June 2019 Chip and smartphone makers have also been eager to launch associated products, which will help speed adoption, Ericsson said. — Julia Horowitz, CNN, "Half of the world will have 5G coverage in five years," 11 June 2019 According to the people familiar with the matter, Pelosi has not been eager to hear Zuckerberg’s explanation for the company’s actions. — Robert Costa And Elizabeth Dwoskin, The Mercury News, "Pelosi hasn’t responded to Zuckerberg’s overtures after Facebook refused to take down fake video," 11 June 2019 But Kim asks, compellingly, why readers might be so eager to believe him in the first place. — Alana Mohamed, The Atlantic, "Inside the Head of an Aging Serial Killer," 11 June 2019 The Argentina international's goalscoring exploits in Milan have once again been overshadowed by problems off the pitch, something which Conte appears eager to cut out of his side heading into the new campaign. — SI.com, "Antonio Conte Makes Final Decisions on Inter Futures of Mauro Icardi & Radja Nainggolan," 8 June 2019 About 80% of Mexico’s exports go to the US, Reuters reports, and Mexican president Andrés Manuel López Obrador seems eager to mollify Trump. — Ephrat Livni, Quartz, "Mexico can’t afford to ignore Trump’s trade war," 2 June 2019 The message was clear in my eager-to-succeed young mind: My worth lay in my achievements. — Chaunie Brusie, Glamour, "How I Realized I Didn’t Need to Have It All," 24 May 2019

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'eager.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.