Definition of EAGERNESS

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 of eager from the Web

The millennials also happen to be bright as buttons, more culturally savvy than any previous generation, and impressively eager to learn (most of them).

— daniel mendelsohn, Town & Country, "How to Raise a Proper College Student", 28 June 2017
As the youngest member of the wolfpack, Seth Clearwater was the eager pup of the group.

— maria tallarico, Cosmopolitan, "The Supporting Cast of Twilight: Where Are They Now?!", 28 June 2017
Other funny characters in the play are the neurotic Charlotte and her domination of husband Theodore, who is eager to please his wife and in-laws.

— marvin glassman, Jewish Journal, "'Goldberg Variations' finds comedy, drama in family gathering", 28 June 2017
The European Council is not eager to give an inch in these talks, and may be tempted to ensure that Brexit is so painful for the U.K. that no other member state dares to try it.

— jonah shepp, Daily Intelligencer, "As Brexit Talks Begin, the U.K. Has Few Cards to Play", 22 June 2017
Gary Common Council President Ronald Brewer said council members were eager to find ways to bring outside help from Lake County Sheriff's Department and Indiana State Police to Gary, and the council discussed the matter at its Tuesday meeting.

— becky jacobs, Post-Tribune, "Child shooting victims, 8 and 9, stable in hospital as Gary police investigate", 21 June 2017
The cities that made the final cut meet the interests of all different types of people, from lakeside loungers (Traverse City, Michigan) to sunrise-seekers eager to see the first sunrise in the U.S. (Bar Harbor, Maine).

— kirby adams, The Courier-Journal, "You don't have to go far to find the 'best city for a long vacation'", 20 June 2017
One reason analysts have been eager to see Walmart expand its e-commerce initiatives is that the company has a vast network of storefronts that could easily be multipurposed to serve as distribution facilities.

— martha c. white, NBC News, "So Amazon Bought Whole Foods: Does That Mean My Groceries Will Cost Less?", 19 June 2017
But, showing the quality of any good scientist, Savery was eager to improve upon his machine with others and later contributed to surpassing his invention with the first steam engine, invented by Thomas Newcomen in 1712.

— david grossman, Popular Mechanics, "The Clever Way the First Steam Engines Worked", 13 June 2017

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.

Origin and Etymology of eager

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

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First Known Use: 14th century

See Words from the same year

eager Synonyms

Synonym Discussion of 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