What does "keen" mean?
A prolonged wail for a deceased person.
Keen
/kiːn/ adj, name, noun, verb, slang
adj, name, noun, verb, slang ·Top 500 ·Elementary level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: A prolonged wail for a deceased person.
- Grammar: keen is listed as adj, name, noun, verb, slang.
- Nearest alternatives: ablaze, able, absorbing, academic excitement.
- Useful contrasts: unkeen, allergic reaction, blunter.
- Usage evidence: David has a keen interest in aesthetics — the qualities that make a painting, sculpture, musical composition, or poem pleasing to the eye, ear, or mind.
How to use "keen"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "keen" 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 "keen" 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 "keen" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "keen" 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 "keen" is acting as adj, name, noun, verb, slang 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 "ablaze" 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 "keen", 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 A prolonged wail for a deceased person.
"[S]he went so swiftly that he could only follow her to the door. The large shape of the car swallowed her up; and the car twisted softly around the little drive and away to the London road. Minutes later he heard its Klaxon, just one sharp keen, like the harsh cry of a sea-bird."
- 2 a funeral lament sung with loud wailing wordnet
Verb
- 1 To make cold, to sharpen. rare, transitive
"This is the pureſt exerciſe of health, / The kind refreſher of the ſummer-heats; / Nor, when cold Winter keens the brightening flood, / Would I weak-ſhivering linger on the brink."
- 2 To utter a keen. intransitive
"Last night he had put down too much Potheen / (A vulgar blend of Methyl and Benzene) / That, at some Wake, he might the better keen. / (Keen—meaning 'brisk'? Nay, here the Language warps: / 'Tis singing bawdy Ballads to a Corpse.)"
- 3 express grief verbally wordnet
- 4 To utter with a loud wailing voice or wordless cry. transitive
"Pelicans fly below us with stiffly formal strokes, and gulls wheel and keen."
- 5 To mourn. transitive
"I keened my Gran, I keened my babies, but then my words poured out of my grief. I don't have the full heart like that for Owen, sorry as I am for his goin. Without the heavy grief on me I can maybe think of the words easier."
Adjective
- 1 Often with a prepositional phrase, or with to and an infinitive: showing a quick and ardent responsiveness or willingness; eager, enthusiastic, interested. Commonwealth
"I’m keen on computers."
- 2 Fierce, intense, vehement.
"This boy has a keen appetite."
- 3 Having a fine edge or point; sharp.
"The tongues of mocking wenches are as keen As is the Razors edge, inuisible: […]"
- 4 Acute of mind, having or expressing mental acuteness; penetrating, sharp.
"For when we rage, aduiſe is often ſeene By blunting vs to make our wits more keene."
- 5 Acrimonious, bitter, piercing.
"keen satire or sarcasm"
Show 4 more definitions
- 6 Of cold, wind, etc.: cutting, penetrating, piercing, sharp.
"a keen wind"
- 7 Of prices, extremely low as to be competitive. British
- 8 Marvelous. US, dated, informal
"I just got this peachy keen new dress."
- 9 Brave, courageous; audacious, bold. obsolete
Adjective
- 1 having a sharp cutting edge or point wordnet
- 2 painful as if caused by a sharp instrument wordnet
- 3 excellent wordnet
- 4 intense or sharp wordnet
- 5 having or demonstrating ability to recognize or draw fine distinctions wordnet
Proper Noun
- 1 A surname.
Antonyms
Example
"David has a keen interest in aesthetics — the qualities that make a painting, sculpture, musical composition, or poem pleasing to the eye, ear, or mind."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "keen"?
Common synonyms include: ablaze, able, absorbing, academic excitement, ace-high, acerb.
How do you use "keen" in a sentence?
David has a keen interest in aesthetics — the qualities that make a painting, sculpture, musical composition, or poem pleasing to the eye, ear, or mind.
How do you pronounce "keen"?
Pronounced /kiːn/.
Etymology
Etymology 1
From Middle English kene (“bold, brave, sharp”), from Old English cēne (“keen, fierce, bold, brave, warlike, powerful; learned, clever, wise”), from Proto-Germanic *kōniz (“knowledgeable, skilful, experienced, clever, capable”), from Proto-Indo-European *ǵneh₃- (“to know”). Cognate with Danish køn (“handsome, pretty”), Dutch kien (“smart, wise, able”), koen (“daring, valiant, doughty, courageous”), German kühn (“bold, daring, audacious, hardy, valiant, venturesome”), Icelandic kænn (“wise, crafty, clever, able”), Faroese kønur (“expert (in, on), experienced, skilful, able, capable”), Scots keen (“lively, brisk; avaricious”). Related to Old English cunnan (“to know how to, be able to”). More at cunning, can.
Etymology 2
From Irish caoin (“to lament, keen”).