keen

Examples

• All

• He was a very good athlete, card player, and had a keen mind which helped him win our fantasy league's championship this past year.

  Blog text (14)

• Did I ever tell you, you got some keen hamburgers?

  Hey Good Lookin' (1982)

• I mean, he's really keen, you know?

  Love and Other Catastrophes (1996)

• Behind that desire is one of Marge's core values: her keen sense of responsibility.

  Academic text (2011)

• Matt Stephens is also a keen scooterer.

  Cashback (2004)

• Citizen-scholars are more interested in establishing links between their work and the community in which they are working and observing; they are more likely to examine their own purpose and mission; and they are more likely to possess a keen sense of personal responsibility for what they do.

  Academic text (1995)

• The new restaurant in town is truly keen, serving up some of the best dishes I've ever tasted.

• You should try the pie; it's really keen and worth every penny.

• Everyone agreed that the concert last night was keen, with amazing performances from all the bands.

Synonyms

G

great

vskeen

∞ 1.0

Very good or excellent in quality

is more informal and used for casual praise rather than neutral description

N

not bad

vskeen

• Informal

938 3.0

Better than expected and quite good

is more direct positive praise rather than understated or ironical

N

neat

vskeen

• Informal

218 7.0

Very good and impressive

is similar but used more broadly across varieties and contexts

S

swell

vskeen

• Archaic

98 7.3

Very good and enjoyable

is similar but more current and commonly used in modern informal speech

M

mean

vskeen

• Slang

71 7.5

Very good and impressive at a skill

is similar but often less extreme in intensity or quality claim

G

groovy

vskeen

• Archaic

59 8.8

Very stylish and liked by many people

is mainly general praise without implying fashion or trendiness

D

dandy

vskeen

• Archaic

48 6.7

Very good and impressive

is comparable but more natural and widely used in everyday speech

N

nifty

vskeen

• Informal

40 6.0

Being clever and useful, often small and attractive

is about being very good without implying cleverness or special attractiveness

P

peachy

vskeen

• Informal

29 6.9

Very good and pleasant, with no problems

is similar but more neutral and less playful in everyday speech

S

smashing

vskeen

• Archaic

29 7.6

Very good, enjoyable, and attractive in a lively way

is close but more neutral, not necessarily suggesting enjoyment or British style

B

bully

vskeen

• Archaic

18 9.9

Very good or excellent in old, joking speech

is similar but modern and straightforward rather than archaic or playful

B

bang-up

vskeen

• Informal

16 7.8

Very good and of high quality

is similar but usually less emphatic and more general informal approval

C

cracking

vskeen

• UK

4 8.4

Very good and enjoyable

is similar but usually milder and not marked as chiefly British

C

corking

vskeen

• Archaic

1 8.6

Very good and enjoyable

is alike but more neutral and not tied to British lively speech

S

slap-up

vskeen

• UK

1 8.9

Very good and large, often used for a meal or party

is similar but more general informal praise not limited to British first-rate tone

B

bally good

vskeen

• Archaic

8.3

People use it in Britain to say something is very good

is similar but less regionally marked and less playful in tone

Antonyms

P

poor

555 1.0

Not good enough in quality or amount

M

mediocre

94 4.8

Only average in quality and not very good

Compounds

K

keen eye

11 4.1

An ability to notice small details that others miss

K

keen observation

3 4.3

Noticing small details and understanding what they mean

K

keen-eyed

1 5.8

Able to see small details clearly

K

keen-sighted

1 5.9

Seeing very well even from far away

K

keen nose

1 5.1

A very strong sense of smell that notices faint scents

How Good

excellent

∞ 1.0

great

∞ 1.0

keen

• UK

12 6.9

good

∞ 1.0

okay

∞ 1.0

Surface Forms

Etymology