1
as in sensitive
able to sense slight impressions or differences
pilots with especially keen eyesight
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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
Adrian Bridgwater, Forbes.com, 17 Sep. 2025
However, her inner voice reveals a sardonic sense of humor, cunning intellect, and keen eye for details most people would miss…because Emily has a big secret.
—Rebecca Angel Baer, Southern Living, 17 Sep. 2025
Jon Blistein, Rolling Stone, 25 Oct. 2023
Tristan Lavalette, Forbes, 26 Sep. 2024
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
See All Example Sentences for keen
Adjective
That’s the core message that advocates of predictive, generative and agentic AI services are always keen to stress.
—Adrian Bridgwater, Forbes.com, 17 Sep. 2025
However, her inner voice reveals a sardonic sense of humor, cunning intellect, and keen eye for details most people would miss…because Emily has a big secret.
—Rebecca Angel Baer, Southern Living, 17 Sep. 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
The sport's powerhouse India did not want to host another event, with Zimbabwe - emerging as a destination for major tournaments - and Sri Lanka keen but bypassed for the UAE, a reliable alternative that doubles as headquarters for the sport's governing body.
—Tristan Lavalette, Forbes, 26 Sep. 2024
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
See All Example Sentences for keen
Recent Examples of Synonyms for keen
Adjective
-
The discovery renews scrutiny of Bolton’s handling of sensitive national security information and echoes long-standing concerns first raised during a contentious legal battle over his 2020 memoir.—
Robert Alexander,
MSNBC Newsweek,
24 Sep. 2025
-
The cyberattacks resulted in Caesars Entertainment losing sensitive customer data, according to financial filings, and MGM Resorts International properties experienced significant operational disruptions.—
James Powel,
USA Today,
23 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
The characters have this sharp, biting, British humor.—
Alex Ritman,
Variety,
28 Aug. 2025
-
There’s Bud the biting cat, played by a feline named Tonic and who deserves a three-picture deal.—
David Fear,
Rolling Stone,
28 Aug. 2025
Adjective
-
Pressing less, fewer long spells of possession, quicker to work the ball through the thirds.—
Jordan Campbell,
New York Times,
24 Sep. 2025
-
Choosing to engage means players can toss out one of their own Pokémon, all accessible at any time with quick button presses, or just skip the process and chuck a Poke ball at the back of the creature’s head.—
Christopher Cruz,
Rolling Stone,
24 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
Shaw and Harry Maguire were excellent.—
Mark Critchley,
New York Times,
21 Sep. 2025
-
And this does bode well for interior roominess, which is quite accommodating up front for a variety of heights and body types—plus tremendously comfortable standard sport bucket seats with excellent bolstering.—
Peter Nelson,
Forbes.com,
20 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
The opening of the location near the Detroit Metro Airport drew a large and excited crowd.—
Natalie Davies,
Freep.com,
23 Sep. 2025
-
Nvidia has made no net progress since July 30 alongside plenty of excited chatter around the strength and duration of the AI buildout — perhaps having entered another of its long digestion trading ranges (the last one went on for several months)?—
Michael Santoli,
CNBC,
23 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
This blaze is intense enough that firefighters used water lines to moisten the soil around trees and wrapped their trunks with fire-resistant foil blankets.—
Kurt Snibbe,
Oc Register,
20 Sep. 2025
-
From time to time, there’s still an intense demand for anything connected to the Fab Four, and countless films, books, and albums have been issued in the decades since the musicians split.—
Hugh McIntyre,
Forbes.com,
19 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
Low, ominous bass riffs giving way to a distorted wail of electric guitar signaled that this was the juncture in American history when the gloves came off and the real ass-kicking began.—
Seth Harp,
Harpers Magazine,
19 Sep. 2025
-
Were his character more precisely defined, Battle’s wail of feeling might carry you past the awkwardness of the songwriting, the nagging questions about what’s meant to be translucent or not, but here both character and emotion are indistinct.—
Jackson McHenry,
Vulture,
19 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Not that mom was complaining all that much about her daughter's efforts.—
Jack Beresford,
MSNBC Newsweek,
20 Sep. 2025
-
Allen even complained that he was being micromanaged about a week before the Tamarac murders.—
Milena Malaver,
Miami Herald,
20 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Keen.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/keen. Accessed 25 Sep. 2025.
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