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Eager vs Spirited - What's the difference?

eager | spirited |

As adjectives the difference between eager and spirited

is that eager is (obsolete) sharp; sour; acid while spirited is lively, vigorous, animated or courageous.

As a noun eager

is (tidal bore).

As a verb spirited is

(spirit).

eager

English

(Webster 1913)

Etymology 1

From (etyl) eger, from (etyl) egre (French aigre), from (etyl) ; see acid, acerb, etc. Compare vinegar, alegar.

Adjective

(er)
  • (obsolete) Sharp; sour; acid.
  • * Shakespeare
    • like eager droppings into milk
  • (obsolete) Sharp; keen; bitter; severe.
  • * Shakespeare
    • eager words
  • * Shakespeare
    • a nipping and an eager air
  • (rfc-sense) Excited by desire in the pursuit of any object; ardent to pursue, perform, or obtain; keenly desirous; hotly longing; earnest; zealous; impetuous; vehement.
  • * Keble
    • When to her eager lips is brought / Her infant's thrilling kiss.
  • * Hawthorne
    • a crowd of eager and curious schoolboys
  • * {{quote-book, year=1963, author=(Margery Allingham), title=(The China Governess)
    • , chapter=19 citation , passage=When Timothy and Julia hurried up the staircase to the bedroom floor, where a considerable commotion was taking place, Tim took Barry Leach with him. […]. The captive made no resistance and came not only quietly but in a series of eager little rushes like a timid dog on a choke chain.}}
  • Brittle; inflexible; not ductile.
  • * John Locke
    • Gold will be sometimes so eager , as artists call it, that it will as little endure the hammer as glass itself.
  • (comptheory) Not employing lazy evaluation; calculating results immediately, rather than deferring calculation until they are required.
    • an eager algorithm
    Synonyms
    * raring
    Derived terms
    * eager beaver * eagerly * eagerness

    Etymology 2

    See (m).

    Noun

    (en noun)
  • (tidal bore).

    • External links

    * * *

    Anagrams

    *

    spirited

    English

    Verb

    (head)
  • (spirit)

    • Derived terms

    * free-spirited * low-spirited * high-spirited * mean-spirited

    Adjective

    (en adjective)
  • Lively, vigorous, animated or courageous.
  • * November 2 2014 , Daniel Taylor, " Sergio Agüero strike wins derby for Manchester City against 10-man United," guardian.co.uk
    • Remarkably United’s 10 men almost salvaged an improbable draw during a late, spirited challenge. They showed great competitive courage in that period and there were chances for Robin van Persie, Ángel Di María and Marouane Fellaini to punish City for defending too deeply and not being more clinical with their opportunities at the other end.
  • * {{quote-news
    • , year=2012 , date=June 9 , author=Owen Phillips , title=Euro 2012: Netherlands 0-1 Denmark , work=BBC Sport citation , page= , passage=But the Danes remained resolute in defence - largely thanks to a spirited display by captain Daniel Agger - and they went ahead with their first meaningful attack.}}

    Related terms

    * spirit * spirited away

    Anagrams

    *