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

Many Virginia militiamen refused to turn out, eager to protect their families.

— michael kranish, Washington Post, "Jefferson fled Monticello to avoid being captured by the British. And he was mocked for it.", 2 June 2017
Michelle was always eager to follow in her footsteps.

— steve millar, Daily Southtown, "Michelle Jerantowski comes back and Lemont returns to state in girls soccer", 1 June 2017
Had the president’s lawyers, so eager to curb his stream-of-consciousness missives, tackled the commander in chief under the cover of night?

— matt flegenheimer, The Seattle Times, "What’s a ‘covfefe’? Mysterious Trump tweet unites a bewildered nation", 31 May 2017
Back in the summer of 2010, a few months prior to her shoes hitting store shelves, Ivanka Trump held court at Trump Tower in New York, hosting retail buyers and members of the press eager for a look at her new collection.

— kim bhasin, Bloomberg.com, "Rich People Don’t Want Ivanka Trump’s Fashion", 30 May 2017
About 1 a.m. three Fridays ago, Republicans in the State Senate were eager to approve a budget and adjourn for the weekend.

— michael wines, New York Times, "Rebuked Twice by Supreme Court, North Carolina Republicans Are Unabashed", 27 May 2017
At least two commissioners, Russell and Frank Carollo, are eager to be rid of Flagstone.

— david smiley, miamiherald, "Miami to fish or cut bait Tuesday with Flagstone Island Gardens", 26 May 2017
Scientists are eager to see, over time, whether these super cyclones are stable or dynamic.

— marcia dunn, chicagotribune.com, "Monstrous cyclones churning over Jupiter's poles discovered by Juno spacecraft", 25 May 2017
Russia is eager to secure mineral and energy mining rights in the Arctic, in areas becoming more accessible as global warming reduces the amount of pack ice.

— kyle mizokami, Popular Mechanics, "Russia's Gigantic New Submarine Has Enormous "Wings"", 23 May 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

First Known Use: 14th century

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

eager