What does "eager" mean?
Alternative form of eagre (“tidal bor”).
Eager
/iɡə/ adj, name, noun, verb
adj, name, noun, verb ·Common ·High school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: Alternative form of eagre (“tidal bor”).
- Grammar: eager is listed as adj, name, noun, verb.
- Nearest alternatives: accordant, acquiescent, acquisitive, active.
- Useful contrasts: averse, disinclined, recalcitrant.
- Usage evidence: We are all eager for him to win the Nobel prize.
How to use "eager"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "eager" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "eager" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "eager" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "eager" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "eager" is acting as adj, name, noun, verb in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "accordant" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "eager", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 Alternative form of eagre (“tidal bor”). alt-of, alternative
- 2 a high wave (often dangerous) caused by tidal flow (as by colliding tidal currents or in a narrow estuary) wordnet
Verb
- 1 To be or become eager. intransitive
"Now everybody considered it a high privilege (valued it at a high consideration) to see him and to hear him speak, and to obey his command (him commanding), whereas he, though being such a person, eagered to be unknown, and to escape notice in solitude."
- 2 To express eagerness. intransitive
"His hair crinkled towards her fondly. "Yes," he eagered."
- 3 To make or encourage to be eager transitive
"Physicians also admit to eagering patients to turn to specialised web sites in order to read further."
Adjective
- 1 Desirous; keen to do or obtain something.
"Stacey is very eager to go cycling this weekend."
- 2 Not employing lazy evaluation; calculating results immediately, rather than deferring calculation until they are required.
"an eager algorithm"
- 3 Brittle; inflexible; not ductile. dated
"gold itself will be sometimes so eager, (as artists call it), that it will as little endure the hammer as glass itself"
- 4 Sharp; sour; acid. obsolete
"like eager droppings into milk"
- 5 Sharp; keen; bitter; severe. figuratively, obsolete
"If so thou thinkest, vex him with eager words."
Adjective
- 1 having or showing keen interest or intense desire or impatient expectancy wordnet
Proper Noun
- 1 A surname.
Example
"We are all eager for him to win the Nobel prize."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "eager"?
Common synonyms include: accordant, acquiescent, acquisitive, active, aegir, affirmative.
How do you use "eager" in a sentence?
We are all eager for him to win the Nobel prize.
How do you pronounce "eager"?
Pronounced /iɡə/.
Etymology
Etymology 1
Inherited from Middle English egre, eger, from Old French aigre, egre (modern French aigre), from Latin ācrus, variant of ācer (“sharp, keen”); see acid, acerb, etc. Compare vinegar, alegar.
Etymology 2
See eagre.