Word
keenly
Phoneticskeen·ly
US/ˈkinɫi/
UK/kˈiːnli/
Definition
adv. in a way that shows you are very interested, excited, or sharp. You use it when you feel or notice something very strongly.
adv. in an intense, sharp, or highly sensitive manner. Often describes the depth of an emotion or the sharpness of a physical sense.
Examples
“She listened keenly to every word of the story.”
“The loss of the local library was keenly felt by the entire community.”
“The detective watched the suspect keenly, noting the slight tremor in his hands that betrayed his calm exterior.”
Examples
simple
“She listened keenly to every word of the story.”
contextual
“The loss of the local library was keenly felt by the entire community.”
complex
“The detective watched the suspect keenly, noting the slight tremor in his hands that betrayed his calm exterior.”
Usage
Typically follows the verb it modifies or the past participle in passive constructions.
Real-World Examples
“And with the sleepy-lidded eyes of l’Omino con i baffi staring at you from the side of the pot, you’re always keenly aware that you’re using a time-tested piece of Italian gadgetry.” Etymology
From Middle English kenely, kenliche, from Old English cēnlīċe (“keenly, boldly, courageously”), equivalent to keen + -ly. Cognate with Saterland Frisian köinlik (“boldly”), archaic German kühnlich (“bravely”).
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Word family
Scan code
englishreference.com/q/keenly