# eager

/ˈiɡɝ/ (US) · /ˈiːɡɐ/ (UK)

Source: https://englishreference.com/word/eager
Updated: 2026-06-19

## Senses

### 1. keen or excited

adjective · CEFR B1

wanting to do or have something very much.

For teachers: strongly wanting to do or have something; characterized by keen interest or impatient desire.

- The students were eager to start their summer holidays after the final exam.
- The young interns were eager to impress their supervisors, often staying late to ensure every detail of the report was perfect.

Usage: Commonly followed by an infinitive ('eager to help') or the preposition 'for' ('eager for news').

### 2. computing

adjective · CEFR C1 · Technical

in computer science, doing a task immediately instead of waiting until it is needed.

For teachers: describing an evaluation strategy that performs a calculation as soon as an expression is bound to a variable.

- The program uses eager evaluation to process the data as soon as it arrives.
- By employing eager loading, the application fetches all related records in a single query to minimize subsequent database hits.

Usage: Usually used as a technical contrast to 'lazy evaluation'.

### 3. sharp or sour

adjective · CEFR C2 · Archaic · Literary

having a sharp, sour, or bitter taste or feeling.

For teachers: possessing a sharp, acid, or pungent quality; can also refer to biting cold or severe temperament.

- The eager air of the winter morning made his skin sting.
- Hamlet described the midnight air as a nipping and an eager air, emphasizing the biting cold of the Danish night.

Teaching tip: This sense is rarely found in modern speech but appears in Shakespeare and other classic literature.

## Examples

- The students are eager to learn.
- The eager young intern arrived thirty minutes early on her first day to impress the manager.
- While the board was eager for a quick resolution to the merger, the legal team insisted on a thorough review of the environmental liabilities.

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.