eager

adjective

ea·ger | \ ˈē-gər

Definition of eager

1a archaic : sharp

b obsolete : sour

2 : marked by enthusiastic or impatient desire or interest

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

Excellent for adults eager for flattering comparisons to their own families. — Alessandra Codinha, Vogue, "Sick of Holiday Movies? Help Is On the Way," 21 Dec. 2018 Soon tens of thousands of women around the country were posting on Facebook, eager to participate in marches around the country. — Anna North, Vox, "The Women’s March changed the American left. Now anti-Semitism allegations threaten the group’s future.," 21 Dec. 2018 The lights are on, our favorite hotels are open (with extensive remodels that have left many even better than before), and the island is buzzing at a slightly higher frequency, eager to welcome travelers back. — Megan Spurrell, Condé Nast Traveler, "You Can Still Get Tickets to Hamilton in Puerto Rico," 12 Dec. 2018 Many of these women are mothers, eager to get other moms to vote. — Marisa Lascala, Good Housekeeping, "These 10 Moms Running for Office Need You to Vote on November 6," 30 Oct. 2018 What should be a great market for sellers — with homes snapped up in days by a bumper crop of eager buyers — instead appears increasingly to be stuck, hamstrung by low inventory that drives prices higher each month. — Ely Portillo, charlotteobserver, "Fast-rising home prices are driving buyers out of the Charlotte market," 10 July 2018 The tactics intimidated the Guatemalan government eager to avoid the expense of defending a GATT challenge. — Eric Levitz, Daily Intelligencer, "It’s Normal for the U.S. to Put Corporate Profits Above Babies’ Health," 10 July 2018 Back in 2014, Ryan was eager to help the poor with an EITC expansion but worried about how to pay for it. — Matthew Yglesias, Vox, "Paul Ryan’s farewell address contained a blaze of nonsense about poverty," 20 Dec. 2018 Tesla owners, eager to help with the delivery crunch, volunteered to help at company stores with customers coming to pick up their vehicles during the end-of-the-quarter rush. — Recode Staff, Recode, "Recode Daily: A NYT financial investigation punctures Trump’s ‘self-made’ image," 3 Oct. 2018

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.