noun ·Common ·High school level

Definitions

Noun

1. 1
   sharpness or cutting ability countable, uncountable
2. 2
   thinness of edge or fineness of point wordnet
3. 3
   astuteness or sagacity countable, uncountable
4. 4
   a quick and penetrating intelligence wordnet
5. 5
   eagerness or enthusiasm countable, uncountable

Show 1 more definition

6. 6
   a positive feeling of wanting to push ahead with something wordnet

Synonyms

All synonyms

acutenesseagernesssharpnessabsolute zeroacerbityacidity

Example

More examples

"Tom acted the fool but, in reality, had an education and keenness of mind second to none."

Etymology

From keen + -ness.

Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.