KEEN • FREE-TRANSLATOR.COM • Definition of Keen

Add this Dictionary
to your website!
See more options...

/kin/ Listen

adjective

Keen adj. (compar. keener; superl. keenest)

1.

Sharp; having a fine edge or point; as, a keen razor, or a razor with a keen edge. "A bow he bare and arwes (arrows) bright and kene." "That my keen knife see not the wound it makes."

2.

Acute of mind; sharp; penetrating; having or expressing mental acuteness; as, a man of keen understanding; a keen look; keen features. "To make our wits more keen." "Before the keen inquiry of her thought."

3.

Bitter; piercing; acrimonious; cutting; stinging; severe; as, keen satire or sarcasm. "Good father cardinal, cry thou amen To my keen curses."

4.

Piercing; penetrating; cutting; sharp; applied to cold, wind, etc.; as, a keen wind; the cold is very keen. "Breasts the keen air, and carols as he goes."

5.

Eager; vehement; fierce; as, a keen appetite. "Of full kene will." "So keen and greedy to confound a man."

6.

Wonderful; delightful; marvelous; as, that would be keen. (slang) Note: Keen is often used in the composition of words, most of which are of obvious signification; as, keen-edged, keen-eyed, keen-sighted, keen-witted, etc.

Synonyms: Prompt; eager; ardent; sharp; acute; cutting; penetrating; biting; severe; sarcastic; satirical; piercing; shrewd.

verb

Keen v. t. To sharpen; to make cold. (R.) "Cold winter keens the brightening flood."

Keen v. i. To wail as a keener does. (Ireland)

noun

Keen n. A prolonged wail for a deceased person. Cf. Coranach. (Ireland)

See images of 'Keen'

Etymology of 'Keen'

Collaborative International Dictionary of English 0.48

Share |

"Keen" Quotes from Famous Books

... he asked. "Is it—is it any one I know?" Then, as if suddenly conscious that he was betraying too keen an emotion for the occasion, pitiful as it was, he forced his lips into a steadier curve, and quietly said: "After what has happened here, I am naturally overcome by a circumstance so ...

— The Mill Mystery • Anna Katharine Green

... Englishmen enter into cricket—and Washington being the vibrant centre of that intense political concern, the most acute brains of the American news world naturally gravitate to the Capital. The National Press Club at Washington is a club of experts. Its membership is made up of men whose keen intelligence, brilliance in craft and devotion to their calling has lifted them to the top of the tree in their ...

— Westward with the Prince of Wales • W. Douglas Newton

... so immense. What is 50,000 pounds in comparison with this great national interest?" The members who are for the expenditure always come down; perhaps a constituent or a friend who will profit by the outlay, or is keen on the object, has asked them to attend; at any rate, there is a popular vote to be given, on which the newspapers—always philanthropic, and sometimes talked over—will be sure to make enconiums. The members against the expenditure rarely come down of themselves; ...

— The English Constitution • Walter Bagehot

... on a large scale in Palestine having been stopped, the army was not reorganized. It was a matter of keen regret to many who had followed the fortunes of this campaign since the days of Gaza, that they and their battalions were not to play a part in the final act. The 52nd and the 74th Divisions were withdrawn entirely, their places being taken by ...

— With the British Army in The Holy Land • Henry Osmond Lock

... will not be able to hear the President speak when he is there. You will miss much. He is not impassioned nor a great orator, such as Chatham or Fox, or Webster or Dolliver, or even Bryan—but he has a keen, quick, cutting mind, the mind of a really great critic, and his manner is that of the gentleman scholar. He is first among all men to-day, ...

— The Letters of Franklin K. Lane • Franklin K. Lane

Copyright © 2025 Free-Translator.com