keen (1) — OAT

keen1

adjective

1 nimble fingers and keen eyesight are required for the work:

acute, sharp, penetrating, discerning, sensitive, perceptive, piercing, clear, observant;

powerful.

▷antonyms weak, defective.

2 an able administrator with a keen mind:

acute, penetrating, astute, incisive, sharp, perceptive, piercing, rapierlike, razor-like, razor-sharp, perspicacious, shrewd, subtle, finely honed, quick-witted, sharp-witted, discerning, clever, intelligent, brilliant, bright, smart, wise, canny, percipient, insightful, sagacious, sapient;

informal brainy, genius.

▷antonyms dull, stupid.

3 I had been a keen birdwatcher since I was a boy:

enthusiastic, avid, eager, ardent, passionate, fervent, fervid, impassioned, wholehearted, zestful, zealous, driven;

willing, conscientious, committed, dedicated;

diligent, earnest, industrious, assiduous, intent.

▷antonyms apathetic, halfhearted.

4 her sisters are keen on horses | he had a girl in Kentucky he was keen on:

enthusiastic about, interested in, passionate about, fascinated by;

attracted to, fond of, taken with, smitten with, enamored of, attached to, devoted to, infatuated with;

eager for, hungry for;

informal struck on, sweet on, gone on, mad about, crazy about, nuts about, into;

North American, informal twitterpated by.

▷antonyms unenthusiastic, indifferent.

5 his publishers were keen to capitalize on his success:

eager, anxious, impatient, determined, desirous, longing, wishing, itching, dying, yearning, ambitious, ready;

intent on;

informal raring.

▷antonyms reluctant.

6 the magazines are spoken of with keen derision:

cutting, scathing, mordant, caustic, withering, acerbic, stinging, searing, acid, biting, tart, astringent, pointed, trenchant, pungent, incisive, virulent, devastating;

sardonic, sarcastic, satirical;

rare mordacious.

▷antonyms gentle, mild.

7 there is keen competition for places on these committees | a keen sense of duty:

intense, acute, extreme, fierce, violent, passionate, consuming, burning, fervent, fervid, ardent;

strong, powerful, profound, deep-seated.

8 a keen cutting edge:

sharp, sharp-edged, sharpened, honed, razor-like, razor-sharp, whetted, fine-edged.

▷antonyms blunt.

9 a keen wind cut through their coats:

cold, icy, freezing, harsh, raw, bitter;

penetrating, piercing, biting, sharp, stinging;

British, informal Baltic.

choose the right word	keen, eager, enthusiastic, avid
See eager.

choose the right word

keen, acute, penetrating

■ Keen is used of sensitive and powerful perception, both physical and mental (his keen hearing caught the whirring of the tape | he enjoyed exercising his keen intellect in analyzing the controversies of the day); when applied to someone's eyes, it often suggests an appearance of alertness and perceptiveness as well as actual power (his keen eyes went from Thomas to Ralf). The impressions or attitudes resulting from keen mental perception are intense (young people show a keen awareness of animal welfare | lawyers with a keen sense of the value of good political connections).

■ Someone whose physical or mental perception is acute can detect small details that are not readily apparent to others (young children have a particularly acute sense of smell | Simon's vague manner concealed an agile and acute mind). An acute observer can produce acute criticism, identifying central issues and making perceptive points about them. Intense and insistent emotion may be described as acute (acute grief at the loss of her parents).

■ Penetrating eyes may or may not have good sight, but they look as though they can see through you (she was unable to meet his penetrating eyes). A penetrating mind enables one to see deeply into a problem and think up penetrating questions, calculated to reveal important truths.