# keen

/ˈkin/ (US) · /kˈiːn/ (UK)

Source: https://englishreference.com/word/keen
Updated: 2026-08-15

## Senses

### 1. eager or interested

adjective · CEFR B1 · British English

very interested, eager, or wanting to do something very much.

For teachers: showing a quick and ardent responsiveness or willingness; enthusiastic.

- She is very keen on photography and spends all her weekends taking pictures.
- The department is keen to recruit graduates who demonstrate not only technical proficiency but also a genuine passion for sustainable design.

Usage: Commonly followed by 'on' + gerund or 'to' + infinitive.

### 2. sharp or fine

adjective · CEFR B2

having a very sharp edge or point.

For teachers: having a fine edge or point; physically sharp.

- The chef used a knife with a keen edge to slice the tomatoes thinly.
- The artisan spent hours ensuring the chisel had a keen enough edge to carve the intricate patterns into the hardwood.

### 3. mentally quick

adjective · CEFR B2

having a quick mind that understands things easily.

For teachers: having or expressing mental acuteness; penetrating and perceptive.

- He has a keen mind and can solve difficult puzzles in minutes.
- Her keen analytical skills allowed her to identify the structural flaws in the proposal long before the rest of the committee.

### 4. intense senses

adjective · CEFR B2

highly developed and sensitive, especially sight, smell, or hearing.

For teachers: highly developed or sensitive; acute in perception.

- Dogs have a keen sense of smell that helps them find hidden objects.
- The nocturnal predator relies on its keen hearing to locate small rodents moving beneath the leaf litter in total darkness.

### 5. strong or piercing

adjective · CEFR C1 · Literary

very strong or cold, like a wind that feels like it is cutting you.

For teachers: intense, piercing, or biting in nature; often used to describe weather or emotions.

- A keen wind blew across the open fields, making everyone shiver.
- The mourners felt a keen sense of loss that words could not adequately describe during the ceremony.

### 6. to wail in grief

verb · CEFR C2 · Literary

to make a long, loud, sad sound because someone has died.

For teachers: to utter a loud, wailing lament for the dead.

- The women began to keen as the funeral procession passed through the village.
- The wind seemed to keen through the ruins, sounding like a ghostly lament for the city's former inhabitants.

Teaching tip: This sense is primarily associated with Irish traditional mourning customs.

### 7. a funeral wail

noun · CEFR C2 · Literary

a long, sad cry for a person who has died.

For teachers: a prolonged wail or lamentation for a deceased person.

- The sound of a distant keen echoed through the valley during the night.
- The poet described the low, rhythmic keen of the villagers as they gathered to pay their final respects.

## Examples

- She is a keen gardener and spends every weekend outside.
- The company is keen to hire new graduates who show a strong work ethic and a willingness to learn.
- Despite his age, the professor retained a keen intellect and an uncanny ability to spot logical fallacies in his students' arguments.

---

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.