HOW TO PRONOUNCE
keen
/kin/
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American Pronunciation Guide · 0:47
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What does keen mean?
adjective
- Often with a prepositional phrase, or with to and an infinitive: showing a quick and ardent responsiveness or willingness; eager, enthusiastic, interested.
- Fierce, intense, vehement.
- Having a fine edge or point; sharp.
More meanings (12)
adjective
- Acute of mind, having or expressing mental acuteness; penetrating, sharp.
- Acrimonious, bitter, piercing.
- Cutting, penetrating, piercing, sharp.
- Of prices, extremely low as to be competitive.
- (dated, informal) Marvelous.
- (obsolete) Brave, courageous; audacious, bold.
noun
- A prolonged wail for a deceased person.
verb
- To utter a keen.
- To utter with a loud wailing voice or wordless cry.
- To mourn.
- (rare) To make cold, to sharpen.
proper noun
- A surname.
Definitions regrouped for readability · CC BY-SA 4.0
IPA pronunciation
/kin/
Wiktionary contributors · CC BY-SA 4.0 ↗Pronunciation varies by speaker and region. About these dictionary pronunciations.
In the pages of books
See this word in context.
These circumambient gleams were accompanied by a keen sibilation that was almost a whistling—also springing from all sides of her at once.
Then, being nothing if not practical, they set their keen and active minds to discover the kind of conduct expected of them.
More book examples (3)
Among other things he found a sharp hunting knife, on the keen blade of which he immediately proceeded to cut his finger.
Well, To the latter end of a fray and the beginning of a feast Fits a dull fighter and a keen guest.
Her eyes had regained their usual expression of keen vitality, and she seemed to have forgotten Alfred and Sinclair and her emotion.