Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

keen

/kin/

Word Rarity Uncommon

Frequency: 4.13 in modern English

Syllables: keen
IPA: /kin/

8

Scrabble Score

4

Letters

1

Syllables

3

Unique Chars

Meaning

adj

Often with a prepositional phrase, or with to and an infinitive: showing a quick and ardent responsiveness or willingness; eager, enthusiastic, interested.

adj

Fierce, intense, vehement.

adj

Having a fine edge or point; sharp.

adj

Acute of mind, having or expressing mental acuteness; penetrating, sharp.

adj

Acrimonious, bitter, piercing.

adj

Cutting, penetrating, piercing, sharp.

adj

Of prices, extremely low as to be competitive.

British usage

adj

American usage; Dated; Informal

Example Sentences

"I’m keen on computers."
"I’m keen on you."
"She’s keen to learn another language."
"“Do you want to go on holiday with me?” “Yes, I’m keen.”"
"Ophe[lia] You are keene my Lord, you are keene. / Ham[let] It would coſt you a groaning, to take off my edge."
"In fact, she doesn't mention the fact that I've obviously been avoiding her, just sounds genuinely thrilled to hear from me, and as soon as I mention getting together she suggests Monday, which is rather keen, even for Portia."

Etymology

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.

Origin

Source language: Middle English

Word Breakdown

Root: kene, cēne, *kōniz, *ǵneh₃-, caoin

Regional Pronunciation

American English: /kin/
British English: /kiːn/

Usage

Inflected Forms

keener (comparative) more keen (comparative) keenest (superlative) most keen (superlative) keene (alternative) kene (alternative) keens (present, singular) keening (participle, present) keened (participle, past) keened (past) keens (plural)

Derived Forms

keenly keenness keeno overkeen unkeen

Phrases

keen as a bean keen as a Jew keen as knives keen as mustard keen on keen-witted peachy keen peachy keen jelly bean

Frequently Paired Words

keener

Synonyms

ardent eager prompt hot on sharp acute penetrating shrewd astute brainy bright brilliant

Homonyms

Keane Keene

Rhymes With

between mean seen green clean scene machine queen screen marine dean routine

Questions

How do you pronounce keen?: The recorded pronunciation is /kin/.
What does keen mean?: Often with a prepositional phrase, or with to and an infinitive: showing a quick and ardent responsiveness or willingness; eager, enthusiastic, interested.
Where does keen come from?: It is traced to Middle English.

How to pronounce keen

Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “keen”.
Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling (/kin/) so you know which sounds to aim for.
Play the audio — Click Play to hear reference audio for “keen”.
Repeat and practice — Say “keen” aloud, matching stress and vowels until it feels natural.