Eager
Eager adjective - Showing urgent desire or interest.
Usage example: Tom was eager to try out his new pair of skis
Keen is a synonym for eager in anxious topic. In some cases you can use "Keen" instead the word "Eager" as an adjective or an adverb, when it comes to topics like behaviour, concern. popular alternative
Keen
Keen adjective - Showing urgent desire or interest.
Usage example: a keen hunger for fame and fortune in the fashion industry
Eager is a synonym for keen in enthusiastic topic. You can use "Eager" instead the word "Keen" as an adjective or an adverb, if it concerns topics such as behaviour, concern, earnest. popular alternative
Mutual synonyms
Both words in one sentence
- Arbitrary Skepticism: Ginger is sometimes eager to accept Johnny's stories at face value but keen to poke holes in them other times.
Source: Theatre / Jerusalem -
Since she has no mother figure, she is also feisty and tomboyish and is eager to join her dad in fighting crime (he's not so keen on the idea as he doesn't like seeing her endanger herself).
- All Lesbians Want Kids: Nearly subverted by a couple where one of them is eager to adopt a difficult young boy while the other isn't quite as keen but comes around to being a parent in the end.
Source: Series / Casualty
Cite this Source
Keen and Eager. (2016). Retrieved 2026, July 21, from https://thesaurus.plus/related/eager/keen
Eager & Keen. N.p., 2016. Web. 21 Jul. 2026. <https://thesaurus.plus/related/eager/keen>.
Keen or Eager. 2016. Accessed July 21, 2026. https://thesaurus.plus/related/eager/keen.
Google Ngram Viewer shows how "eager" and "keen" have occurred on timeline