Transcription
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- US Pronunciation
- US IPA
- UK Pronunciation
- UK IPA
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- [keen]
- /kin/
- /kiːn/
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- US Pronunciation
- US IPA
-
- [keen]
- /kin/
Definitions of keen word
- adjective keen finely sharpened, as an edge; so shaped as to cut or pierce substances readily: a keen razor. 1
- adjective keen sharp, piercing, or biting: a keen wind; keen satire. 1
- adjective keen characterized by strength and distinctness of perception; extremely sensitive or responsive: keen eyes; keen ears. 1
- adjective keen having or showing great mental penetration or acumen: keen reasoning; a keen mind. 1
- adjective keen animated by or showing strong feeling or desire: keen competition. 1
- adjective keen intense, as feeling or desire: keen ambition; keen jealousy. 1
Information block about the term
Origin of keen
First appearance:
before 900 One of the 4% oldest English words
before 900; 1930-35 for def 8; Middle English kene, Old English cēne; cognate with German kühn, Old High German chuoni bold, Old Norse kœnn wise, skillful
Historical Comparancy
Parts of speech for Keen
noun
adjective
verb
adverb
pronoun
preposition
conjunction
determiner
exclamation
keen popularity
A common word. It’s meaning is known to most children of preschool age. About 99% of English native speakers know the meaning and use the word.
Most Europeans know this English word. The frequency of it’s usage is somewhere between "mom" and "screwdriver".
keen usage trend in Literature
This diagram is provided by Google Ngram ViewerSynonyms for keen
verb keen
- eat one's heart out — Anatomy. a hollow, pumplike organ of blood circulation, composed mainly of rhythmically contractile smooth muscle, located in the chest between the lungs and slightly to the left and consisting of four chambers: a right atrium that receives blood returning from the body via the superior and inferior vena cavae, a right ventricle that pumps the blood through the pulmonary artery to the lungs for oxygenation, a left atrium that receives the oxygenated blood via the pulmonary veins and passes it through the mitral valve, and a left ventricle that pumps the oxygenated blood, via the aorta, throughout the body.
- anguished — Anguished means showing or feeling great mental suffering or physical pain.
- cry — When you cry, tears come from your eyes, usually because you are unhappy or hurt.
- mewl — to cry, as a baby, young child, or the like; whimper.
- moan — a prolonged, low, inarticulate sound uttered from or as if from physical or mental suffering.
adjective keen
- intense — existing or occurring in a high or extreme degree: intense heat.
- strong — having, showing, or able to exert great bodily or muscular power; physically vigorous or robust: a strong boy.
- acute — An acute accent is a symbol that is placed over vowels in some languages in order to indicate how that vowel is pronounced or over one letter in a word to indicate where it is stressed. You refer to a letter with this accent as, for example, e acute. For example, there is an acute accent over the letter 'e' in the French word 'café'.
- deep — If something is deep, it extends a long way down from the ground or from the top surface of something.
- powerful — physically strong, as a person: a large, powerful athlete.
noun keen
- lamentation — the act of lamenting or expressing grief.
- plaint — a complaint.
- ululation — to howl, as a dog or a wolf; hoot, as an owl.
- coronach — a dirge or lamentation for the dead
- howl — to utter a loud, prolonged, mournful cry, as that of a dog or wolf.
Antonyms for keen
adjective keen
- mild — amiably gentle or temperate in feeling or behavior toward others.
- blunt — If you are blunt, you say exactly what you think without trying to be polite.
- prohibitive — serving or tending to prohibit or forbid something.
- insensitive — deficient in human sensibility, acuteness of feeling, or consideration; unfeeling; callous: an insensitive person.
- indifferent — without interest or concern; not caring; apathetic: his indifferent attitude toward the suffering of others.
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