Definitions
- Describing a strong desire or enthusiasm to do something. - Referring to a willingness to learn or participate in an activity. - Talking about a state of anticipation or excitement for something to happen.
- Describing a strong interest or enthusiasm for something. - Referring to a sharp or intense feeling or emotion. - Talking about a willingness to learn or improve a skill.
List of Similarities
- 1Both words describe a strong feeling or desire.
- 2Both can be used to express enthusiasm or interest.
- 3Both can be used to describe a willingness to learn or participate in an activity.
What is the difference?
- 1Intensity: Eager implies a more intense feeling of excitement or anticipation than keen.
- 2Focus: Keen often emphasizes a specific interest or skill, while eager can be more general.
- 3Usage: Eager is more commonly used in everyday language, while keen is more formal and less frequently used.
- 4Connotation: Eager can sometimes have a negative connotation of impatience or overeagerness, while keen is generally positive.
- 5Adverb form: Eagerly is the adverb form of eager, while keenly is the adverb form of keen.
Remember this!
Eager and keen both describe a strong feeling or desire, but eager implies a more intense feeling of excitement or anticipation, while keen often emphasizes a specific interest or skill. Eager is more commonly used in everyday language, while keen is more formal and less frequently used.