keen
5
4.1
- adjective
- /kiːn/
- Oh, to be young, and to feel love's keen sting.
- felt a keen ache
- keen competition
Examples
-
Diligence, tact, and a keen sense of responsibility... capacity for detail are your dominant traits.
-
With the change, my already keen senses sharpen even more.
Fiction book (2001) -
I might never set foot there again, she thought, and felt a keen sense of loss.
Fiction book (1992) -
I, too, felt a keen sense of excitement, a sense of being in on something big.
Academic text (2000) -
Her interest in housekeeping, never that keen, had dwindled to nothing since the accident.
Fiction book (1999) -
Away from astronomy, he is a reader of fiction and history, and a keen runner.
Academic text (2000) -
All of these accomplishments have created international admiration and keen interest in bilateral exchanges and trade relations.
Academic text (2013) -
"Linc's not coming," Liz stated flatly, trying without success to hide her keen disappointment.
Fiction book (1995) -
I was intoxicated by those bluish tremors, by the keen, volatile chill.
Fiction book (2000) -
The sudden, keen pain in her ankle made her realize she needed to rest.
Synonyms
37
2.2
A sudden strong pain that feels like being cut
23
5.5
A very sharp, intense feeling or sound that seems to cut
8
5.3
A sudden, sharp pain or very strong feeling that hurts a lot
8
5.2
Very hurtful in words, or sharply cold in weather
7
6.5
A very strong feeling of pain or pleasure
1
9.9
A very sharp, stabbing pain like being pierced
1
6.9
A very sharp pain that feels like being cut
Antonyms
Compounds
How Intense
Surface Forms
Etymology
Keen comes from an old English idea of being 'sharp' or strong, so a feeling that is keen is like a sharp sensation or emotion that you feel very clearly.