[syn: cutting, keen, knifelike, piercing, stabbing, lancinate, lancinating]
5. having a sharp cutting edge or point;
- Example: "a keen blade"
The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48:
Keen \Keen\, v. t.
To sharpen; to make cold. [R.]
[1913 Webster]
Cold winter keens the brightening flood. --Thomson.
[1913 Webster]
The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48:
Keen \Keen\ (k[=e]n), a. [Compar. Keener (k[=e]n"[~e]r);
superl. Keenest.] [OE. kene sharp, bold, AS. c[=e]ne bold;
akin to D. koen, OHG. kuoni, G. k["u]hn, OSw. kyn, k["o]n,
Icel. k[ae]nn, for k[oe]nn wise; perh. akin to E. ken, can to
be able. [root]45.]
1. Sharp; having a fine edge or point; as, a keen razor, or a
razor with a keen edge.
[1913 Webster]
A bow he bare and arwes [arrows] bright and kene.
--Chaucer.
[1913 Webster]
That my keen knife see not the wound it makes.
--Shak.
[1913 Webster]
2. Acute of mind; sharp; penetrating; having or expressing
mental acuteness; as, a man of keen understanding; a keen
look; keen features.
[1913 Webster]
To make our wits more keen. --Shak.
[1913 Webster]
Before the keen inquiry of her thought. --Cowper.
[1913 Webster]
3. Bitter; piercing; acrimonious; cutting; stinging; severe;
as, keen satire or sarcasm.
[1913 Webster]
Good father cardinal, cry thou amen
To my keen curses. --Shak.
[1913 Webster]
4. Piercing; penetrating; cutting; sharp; -- applied to cold,
wind, etc.; as, a keen wind; the cold is very keen.
[1913 Webster]
Breasts the keen air, and carols as he goes.
--Goldsmith.
[1913 Webster]
5. Eager; vehement; fierce; as, a keen appetite. "Of full
kene will." --Piers Plowman.
[1913 Webster]
So keen and greedy to confound a man. --Shak.
[1913 Webster]
6. Wonderful; delightful; marvelous; as, that would be keen.
[slang]
[PJC]
Note: Keen is often used in the composition of words, most of
which are of obvious signification; as, keen-edged,
keen-eyed, keen-sighted, keen-witted, etc.
Syn: Prompt; eager; ardent; sharp; acute; cutting;
penetrating; biting; severe; sarcastic; satirical;
piercing; shrewd.
[1913 Webster]
The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48:
Keen \Keen\, n. [Ir. caoine.]
A prolonged wail for a deceased person. Cf. Coranach.
[Ireland] --Froude.
[1913 Webster]
The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48:
Keen \Keen\, v. i.
To wail as a keener does. [Ireland]
[1913 Webster]
WordNet (r) 3.0 (2006):
keen
adj 1: having or demonstrating ability to recognize or draw fine
distinctions; "an acute observer of politics and
politicians"; "incisive comments"; "icy knifelike
reasoning"; "as sharp and incisive as the stroke of a
fang"; "penetrating insight"; "frequent penetrative
observations" [syn: acute, discriminating,
incisive, keen, knifelike, penetrating,
penetrative, piercing, sharp]
2: intense or sharp; "suffered exquisite pain"; "felt exquisite
pleasure" [syn: exquisite, keen]
3: very good; "he did a bully job"; "a neat sports car"; "had a
great time at the party"; "you look simply smashing" [syn:
bang-up, bully, corking, cracking, dandy, great,
groovy, keen, neat, nifty, not bad(p), peachy,
slap-up, swell, smashing]
4: painful as if caused by a sharp instrument; "a cutting wind";
"keen winds"; "knifelike cold"; "piercing knifelike pains";
"piercing cold"; "piercing criticism"; "a stabbing pain";
"lancinating pain" [syn: cutting, keen, knifelike,
piercing, stabbing, lancinate, lancinating]
5: having a sharp cutting edge or point; "a keen blade"
n 1: a funeral lament sung with loud wailing
v 1: express grief verbally; "we lamented the death of the
child" [syn: lament, keen]
Moby Thesaurus II by Grady Ward, 1.0:
490 Moby Thesaurus words for "keen":
Attic, OK, Siberian, ablaze, absorbing, ace-high, acerb, acerbate,
acerbic, acid, acidic, acidulent, acidulous, acrid, acrimonious,
active, acute, adroit, afire, aggressive, agile, agog, alacritous,
alert, algid, alive, all agog, animate, animated, anxious, apt,
arctic, ardent, argute, asperous, astringent, astute, athirst,
attentive, avid, awake, bad, bang-up, bark, bawl, bellow,
below zero, bemoan, bewail, biting, bitter, bitterly cold, blare,
blat, bleak, blubber, boiling over, bonzer, boom, boreal, boss,
brainy, bray, breathe, breathless, bright, brilliant, brisk,
brumal, buggy, bugs, bully, burning, bursting to, but good, buzz,
cackle, canny, cant, caterwaul, caustic, chant, chirp, clever,
cold, cold as charity, cold as death, cold as ice, cold as marble,
coo, cool, cordial, corking, coronach, corroding, corrosive,
crackerjack, crafty, creak, creaky, crisp, crow, cry, cunning,
cutting, dandy, dead march, death knell, death song, deep,
deep-felt, deepgoing, delicious, delirious, deplore, desirous,
detailed, devoted, devoted to, dexterous, dirge, discerning,
discriminating, discriminative, distinct, distressful, distressing,
divine, dolorous tirade, double-edged, drastic, drawl, droll,
drunk, ducky, dynamic, eager, ear-piercing, earnest, edged,
elegize, elegy, enamored of, energetic, enterprising, enthusiastic,
epicedium, escharotic, eulogy, excessive, excited, exclaim,
excruciating, exorbitant, exquisite, extravagant, extreme,
exuberant, fab, facetious, featheredged, febrile, fervent, fervid,
fevered, feverish, fierce, fiery, fine, fine and dandy, fired,
flaming, flushed, flute, fond of, forceful, forcible, forward,
freezing, freezing cold, frigid, full of life, full of pep,
funeral march, funeral oration, funeral song, funny, furious, gasp,
gay, gear, gelid, gifted, give sorrow words, glacial, glorious,
glowing, go-go, graveside oration, great, grieve, grievous, groan,
groovy, growl, grunt, gung ho, harsh, heartfelt, hearty, heated,
heavy, hibernal, hiemal, hiss, homefelt, hot, howl, howling,
humorous, humorsome, hunky-dory, hyperborean, ice-cold,
ice-encrusted, icelike, icy, immoderate, impassioned, impatient,
impetuous, incisive, inclement, indelible, intelligent,
intemperate, intense, intoxicated, irritating, itching, jam-up,
jeremiad, jesting, jocose, jocular, joking, joky, joshing,
just dandy, keen-edged, keen-witted, keening, kinetic, knell,
knifelike, lament, lamentation, lilt, lively, living, lusty, marvy,
mean, mettlesome, moan, monody, mordacious, mordant, mourn,
muffled drums, mumble, murmur, mutter, neat, nifty, nimble,
nimble-witted, nipping, nippy, no dumbbell, nobby, nose-tickling,
not born yesterday, numbing, nutty, okay, on fire, on the,
on the alert, on the ball, on the job, out of sight, outcry,
outrageous, painful, pant, panting, passing bell, passionate,
peachy, peachy-keen, penetrating, peppy, perceptive, percipient,
perfervid, perspicacious, pervading, piercing, pinching, pipe,
piping, piquant, plaint, planctus, poignant, pointed, profound,
prompt, pungent, qui vive, quick, quick-thinking, quick-witted,
rapier-like, raring to, raw, razor-edged, ready, ready and willing,
red-hot, reedy, repine, requiem, rigorous, ripping, roar, robust,
rough, rum, rumble, salt, salty, sarcastic, sardonic, scathing,
scintillating, scorching, screak, screaky, scream, screech,
screeching, screechy, scrumptious, searing, sensitive, set, severe,
sharp, sharp-sighted, sharp-witted, sharpened, shrewd, shriek,
shrieking, shrieky, shrill, sibilate, sigh, sing, sing the blues,
skirl, skreigh, slap-up, sleepless, sleety, slushy, smacking,
smart, smashing, snap, snappy, snarl, snort, sob, solid,
something else, sorrow, sough, sour, spanking, sparkling, specific,
spiffing, spiffy, spirited, splitting, sprightly, squall, squawk,
squeak, squeaking, squeaky, squeal, stabbing, steaming, steamy,
steel-trap, stinging, stone-cold, strenuous, strident, stringent,
strong, stunning, subzero, supercooled, swell, take-charge,
take-over, talented, tart, thin, thirsty, threnode, threnody,
thunder, tirade, tough, trenchant, trumpet, twang, two-edged,
ululant, ululate, ululation, unblinking, unconscionable,
unmistakable, unmistaken, unnodding, unrestrained, unsleeping,
unwinking, vehement, venomous, vibrant, vigorous, violent,
virulent, vital, vitriolic, vivacious, vivid, wail, wail of woe,
wailing, wakeful, warble, warm, weep, weep over, whimper,
whimsical, whine, whining, whisper, whistle, whistling, wide-awake,
winterbound, winterlike, wintery, wintry, wise, withering, witty,
wizard, wrawl, yammer, yap, yawp, yell, yelp, yowl, zealous,
zestful, zesty, zippy