1
as in sensitive
able to sense slight impressions or differences
pilots with especially keen eyesight
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Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in biting
causing intense discomfort to one's skin
the keen wind gave me chapped lips
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3
as in sharpened
having an edge thin enough to cut or pierce something
lanced the boil with a keen scalpel
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4
as in quick
having or showing quickness of mind
readers who were keen enough to realize that the writer was being satirical
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5
as in excellent
of the very best kind
that new digital camera sure is keen
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6
as in excited
showing urgent desire or interest
a keen hunger for fame and fortune in the fashion industry
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7
as in intense
extreme in degree, power, or effect
movies gave him keen enjoyment like nothing else
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as in wail
a crying out in grief
the loud keens of the widows were heard throughout the war-ravaged city
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1
as in to complain
to express dissatisfaction, pain, or resentment usually tiresomely
victims of the disaster have been keening for weeks about the slowness of governmental aid
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of keen
Hannah Jackson, Vogue, 12 Aug. 2025
Turley also had a keen involvement with the Uptown community center of the Hull House association, which opened in a former supermarket at 1257 W. Wilson Ave.
—Bob Goldsborough, Chicago Tribune, 11 Aug. 2025
Jon Blistein, Rolling Stone, 25 Oct. 2023
Emily Lordi Philip Cheung, New York Times, 10 May 2024
The score’s main theme feels, above all, like a progression—a steady movement from melody to dissonance, from keening violins to ominous cellos, from pastoral splendor to something more sinister and unresolved.
—Justin Chang, The New Yorker, 3 May 2024
See All Example Sentences for keen
Adjective
The bride, keen to wear emerging designers with a strong point of view, stumbled across the closing look from Conner Ives’s fall 2025 show, which the designer had just presented in London.
—Hannah Jackson, Vogue, 12 Aug. 2025
Turley also had a keen involvement with the Uptown community center of the Hull House association, which opened in a former supermarket at 1257 W. Wilson Ave.
—Bob Goldsborough, Chicago Tribune, 11 Aug. 2025
Noun
The song finds Abstract continuing to explore the contours of indie and alternative rock, with a simmering lo-fi guitar riff that gives way to the uneasy keen of a synth.
—Jon Blistein, Rolling Stone, 25 Oct. 2023
Verb
He’s been lauded for sounding like a vestige of another age — his supple, keening tenor the result of years of apprenticeship to the Pakistani artists Ustad Saami and Farida Khanum.
—Emily Lordi Philip Cheung, New York Times, 10 May 2024
The score’s main theme feels, above all, like a progression—a steady movement from melody to dissonance, from keening violins to ominous cellos, from pastoral splendor to something more sinister and unresolved.
—Justin Chang, The New Yorker, 3 May 2024
See All Example Sentences for keen
Recent Examples of Synonyms for keen
Adjective
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Federated Learning: This privacy-preserving technique allows AI models to learn from decentralized data across games and platforms without compromising user privacy, enhancing moderation without centralizing sensitive data.—
Anees Ali Khan,
Forbes.com,
8 Aug. 2025
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Not all acres are equal, of course, but there are myriad existing laws to protect areas that are sensitive for ecological, cultural, or other good reasons.—
Tim McDonnell,
semafor.com,
7 Aug. 2025
Adjective
-
The socially biting comedy comes out at a time of political unrest in Argentina under Javier Milei’s presidency, a government marked by several funding cuts to culture.—
Rafa Sales Ross,
Variety,
6 Aug. 2025
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No one mentioned the annoying swarms of tiny biting midges that plague Scotland’s west coast in the summer.—
Angus MacKinnon,
CNN Money,
3 Aug. 2025
Adjective
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Isak himself stressed his happiness in the spring and featured in club kit promotions, hardly the actions of someone desperate for a quick exit.—
Harry De Cosemo,
Forbes.com,
14 Aug. 2025
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Here's a quick look at Cox plan options in Phoenix, based on the ZIP code 85014: Cox Fast: Starts at $50 per month for download and upload speeds of 300/30 Mbps for 24 months.—
Kara McGinley,
USA Today,
14 Aug. 2025
Adjective
-
Certain fruits and veggies, lentils and other legumes, and sweet potatoes are all good sources of fiber, and make excellent breakfast fodder.—
Alexis deBoschnek,
Bon Appetit Magazine,
16 Aug. 2025
-
Compensation of a sort came as the excellent form continued in the league.—
Andy Mitten,
New York Times,
16 Aug. 2025
Adjective
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While brands are mostly irrelevant at Low Timers, there are a few heritage names in workwear that get collectors excited.—
Angela Velasquez,
Footwear News,
6 Aug. 2025
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During the quarter-mile hike, one of the young participants was excited to find a salamander underneath a log.—
Deena Butterfield,
Chicago Tribune,
6 Aug. 2025
Adjective
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The community’s response is intense: panicked and bereaved mothers and fathers turn on Justine, indirectly a victim herself; misguided outrage blinds them to the real menace operating unimpeded in their midst.—
Andy Crump,
Time,
9 Aug. 2025
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The race to claim the top seller on iTunes or dominate streaming platforms is intense, with pop, rock, and rap acts all aiming for No. 1 on those platforms.—
Hugh McIntyre,
Forbes.com,
8 Aug. 2025
Noun
-
Nangarhar province, Afghanistan CNN — The wail of a woman in a floral dress reverberates through the malnutrition ward and down the stuffy hallways of a hospital in eastern Afghanistan: The unfiltered pain of a mother watching her 1-year-old son die.—
Li-Lian Ahlskog Hou,
CNN Money,
22 July 2025
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Jhon Wilson Vizcaino / AP Another video showed three men cradling a bloodied and limp Uribe, before an ambulance arrived to the sound of wails and screams from the crowd.—
Matteo Moschella,
NBC news,
8 June 2025
Verb
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Some residents and candidates have complained that Area Towing often overcharged customers, unaware of the costs when getting their vehicles towed.—
Niraj Warikoo,
Freep.com,
7 Aug. 2025
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Republicans complain about the district’s heavy Democratic lean.—
Naomi Lim,
The Washington Examiner,
6 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Keen.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/keen. Accessed 19 Aug. 2025.
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