1 eager | Definition of eager
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eager

adjective
ea·​ger | \ ˈē-gər How to pronounce eager (audio) \

Definition of eager

1 : marked by enthusiastic or impatient desire or interest
2a archaic : sharp
b obsolete : sour
Other Words from eager Synonyms & Antonyms Choose the Right Synonym Example Sentences Learn More about eager

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Other Words from eager

eagerly adverb
eagerness noun

Choose the Right Synonym for eager

eager, avid, keen, anxious, athirst mean moved by a strong and urgent desire or interest. eager implies ardor and enthusiasm and sometimes impatience at delay or restraint. eager to get started avid adds to eager the implication of insatiability or greed. avid for new thrills keen suggests intensity of interest and quick responsiveness in action. keen on the latest fashions anxious emphasizes fear of frustration or failure or disappointment. anxious not to make a social blunder athirst stresses yearning but not necessarily readiness for action. athirst for adventure

eager, anxious, and keen mean having or showing a strong desire or interest. eager is used when there is much enthusiasm and often impatience. Eager travelers waited for their train. anxious is used when there is fear of failure or disappointment. I was anxious to learn who won. keen is used when there is great interest and readiness to act. The new scouts are keen to learn.

Examples of eager in a Sentence

… wine connoisseurs eager to visit cellars and late-fall pilgrims seeking the increasingly rare white truffle … — Corby Kummer, Atlantic, August 2000 … so many religions were steeped in an absolutist frame of mind—each convinced that it alone had a monopoly on the truth and therefore eager for the state to impose this truth on others. — Carl Sagan, The Demon-Haunted World, 1996
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Recent Examples on the Web

 Japan, in desperate need to reinvent its industry in the aftermath of World War II, was eager to learn, and the companies that adopted his techniques of statistical process control saw enormous gains. — Oliver Staley, Quartz at Work, "Whatever happened to Six Sigma?," 3 Sep. 2019 Most policemen, officials, investigators, and firefighters CNN spoke to over a week accepted that a large number were started by people eager to clear land and exploit it afterward. — Nick Paton Walsh, CNN, "As the Amazon fires rage, members of this indigenous community brace for their world to change," 29 Aug. 2019

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'eager.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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First Known Use of eager

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 2a

History and Etymology for eager

Middle English egre, from Anglo-French egre, aigre, from Latin acer — more at edge

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More Definitions for eager

eager

adjective
How to pronounce eager (audio)

English Language Learners Definition of eager

: very excited and interested : feeling a strong and impatient desire to do something or for something

See the full definition for eager in the English Language Learners Dictionary

eager

adjective
ea·​ger | \ ˈē-gər How to pronounce eager (audio) \

Kids Definition of eager

: very excited and interested … bright eager eyes were looking up into hers …— Lewis Carroll, Alice's Adventures in Wonderland

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