Thesaurus

keen

adjective

Synonyms and Antonyms of keen

1 able to sense slight impressions or differences

pilots with especially keen eyesight

Synonyms of keen

acute, delicate, fine, perceptive, quick, sensitive, sharp

Words Related to keen

accurate, clear, discerning, good, piercing, precise, receptive, sensible, subtle

hair-trigger, hyperacute, hypersensitive, oversensitive, supersensitive

Near Antonyms of keen

bad, deadened, dimmed, dull, dulled, fading

dead, imperceptive, insensible, insensitive, numb

imprecise, inaccurate

2 causing intense discomfort to one's skin

The keen wind gave me chapped lips.

Synonyms of keen

biting, bitter, cutting, penetrating, piercing, raw, sharp, shrewd, smarting, stinging

Words Related to keen

brisk, invigorating, nippy, snappy

needlelike, prickly, tingling

caustic, corrosive

Near Antonyms of keen

balmy, gentle, mild, soothing

3 having an edge thin enough to cut or pierce something

My doctor lanced the boil with a keen scalpel.

Synonyms of keen

cutting, edged, edgy, ground, honed, sharp, sharpened, stropped, trenchant, whetted

Words Related to keen

clawlike, daggerlike, knifelike

jabbing, jagged, lacerating, piercing, scratching, stabbing

pointed, pointy, spiky (also spikey)

Near Antonyms of keen

rounded, smooth

Antonyms of keen

blunt, blunted, dull, dulled, obtuse

4 having or showing quickness of mind

readers who were keen enough to realize that the writer was being satirical

Synonyms of keen

alert, brainy, bright, brilliant, clever, exceptional, fast, hyperintelligent, intelligent, nimble, quick, quick-witted, sharp, sharp-witted, smart, supersmart, ultrasmart

Words Related to keen

apt, ingenious, resourceful

acute, astute, discerning, heady, insightful, knowing, perceptive, percipient, perspicacious, sagacious, sapient, savvy, wise

cerebral, erudite, genial, highbrow, knowledgeable, learned, literate, scholarly, well-read

creative, inventive, judicious, prudent, sage, sane, sapient, sensible, sound, wise

crafty, cunning, foxy, shrewd, wily

logical, rational, reasonable

Near Antonyms of keen

feebleminded, simpleminded

ignorant, illiterate, lowbrow, nonintellectual, unacademic, uneducated, uninformed, unintellectual, untaught, unthinking

absurd, asinine, balmy, cockeyed, crackpot, crazy, cuckoo, daffy, daft, dippy, dotty, fool, half-baked, harebrained, insane, kooky (also kookie), loony (also looney), lunatic, mad, nonsensical, nutty, preposterous, sappy, screwball, tomfool, wacky (also whacky), zany

Antonyms of keen

airheaded, birdbrained, boneheaded, brain-dead, brainless, bubbleheaded, chuckleheaded, dense, dim, dim-witted, doltish, dopey (also dopy), dorky [slang], dull, dumb, dunderheaded, empty-headed, fatuous, half-witted, knuckleheaded, lamebrain (or lamebrained), lunkheaded, mindless, obtuse, opaque, pinheaded, senseless, simple, slow, slow-witted, soft, softheaded, stupid, thick, thickheaded, thick-witted, unintelligent, vacuous, weak-minded, witless

5 showing urgent desire or interest

a keen hunger for fame and fortune in the fashion industry

Synonyms of keen

agog, antsy, anxious, ardent, athirst, avid, crazy, desirous, eager, enthused, enthusiastic, excited, great, greedy, gung ho, hot, hungry, impatient, nuts, pumped, raring, solicitous, thirsty, voracious, wild

Words Related to keen

engaged, interested

happy, hung up, obsessed

ambitious, appetent, covetous, craving, hankering, longing, pining

breathless, restive, restless

amenable, disposed, game, glad, inclined, ready, unreluctant, willing

Phrases Synonymous with keen

champing at the bit, chomping at the bit

Near Antonyms of keen

casual, incurious, insouciant, nonchalant, unconcerned, uninterested

aloof, detached, disinterested

impassive, stolid

halfhearted, lackadaisical, languid, languorous, lukewarm, spiritless

averse, disinclined, hesitant, loath (also loth), reluctant, unwilling

Antonyms of keen

apathetic, indifferent, uneager, unenthusiastic

6 extreme in degree, power, or effect

Movies gave him keen enjoyment like nothing else.

Synonyms of keen

acute, almighty, blistering, deep, dreadful, excruciating, explosive, exquisite, fearful, fearsome, ferocious, fierce, frightful, furious, ghastly, hard, heavy, heavy-duty, intense, intensive, profound, terrible, vehement, vicious, violent

Words Related to keen

accentuated, aggravated, concentrated, deepened

emphasized, enhanced, heightened, intensified, magnified

exhaustive, thorough

harsh, rigorous, severe

Near Antonyms of keen

shallow, superficial

moderated, qualified

alleviated, eased, lightened, toned (down)

abated, decreased, diminished, lessened, reduced, subdued

Antonyms of keen

light, moderate, soft

Synonym Discussion of keen

sharp, keen, acute mean having or showing alert competence and clear understanding. sharp implies quick perception, clever resourcefulness, or sometimes questionable trickiness.

- sharp enough to spot a confidence game

keen suggests quickness, enthusiasm, and a penetrating mind.

- a keen observer of the political scene

acute implies a power to penetrate and may suggest subtlety and sharpness of discrimination.

- an acute sense of style

keen

noun

Synonyms and Antonyms of keen

a crying out in grief

the loud keens of the mourners

Synonyms of keen

groan, howl, lament, lamentation, moan, plaint, wail

Words Related to keen

cry, sob, tears

agonizing, grieving, mourning, sorrowing, suffering, weeping

hand-wringing, regret

anguish, dolor, grief, heartache, heartbreak, sorrow, woe

Near Antonyms of keen

cheering, laughing, smiling

Antonyms of keen

exultation, rejoicing

keen

verb

Synonyms and Antonyms of keen

to make a long loud mournful sound

mourners keening for the dead

Synonyms of keen

bay, howl, wail, yowl

Words Related to keen

bawl, caterwaul, scream, screech, shriek, shrill, squall, squeal, yawp (or yaup), yell, yelp

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Dictionary: Definition of keen Spanish Central: Translation of keen Nglish: Translation of keen for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of keen for Arabic speakers

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