Keen vs Really - What's the difference?
keen | really |
showing a quick and ardent willingness or responsiveness, enthusiastic, eager; interested, intense.
vehement; fierce; as, a keen appetite.
* (rfdate),
* (rfdate), Shakespeare
sharp; having a fine edge or point.
* (rfdate) :
acute of mind; sharp; penetrating; having or expressing mental acuteness.
* (rfdate),
* (rfdate),
bitter; piercing; acrimonious; cutting; stinging; severe; as, keen satire or sarcasm.
* (rfdate)
piercing; penetrating; cutting; sharp; -- applied to cold, wind, etc,; as, a keen wind; the cold is very keen.
* (rfdate),
Enthusiastic
(US, informal, dated) Marvelous.
(UK) extremely low as to be competitive.
(obsolete) brave, courageous; bold, audacious.
(rare) To sharpen; to make cold.
* (rfdate), Thomson.
To utter a keen.
* (rfdate) Stuart Howard-Jones (1904-1974), Hibernia.'' Collected in ''The New Oxford Book of English Light Verse, 1978.
To utter with a loud wailing voice or wordless cry.
*
To mourn.
*
(lb) Actually; in fact; in reality.
:
Very (modifying an adjective); very much (modifying a verb).
:
*, chapter=10
, title= *
*:There was also hairdressing: hairdressing, too, really was hairdressing in those times — no running a comb through it and that was that. It was curled, frizzed, waved, put in curlers overnight, waved with hot tongs;.
Indicating surprise at, or requesting confirmation of, some new information; to express skepticism.
Indicating that what was just said was obvious and unnecessary; contrived incredulity
(colloquial, chiefly, US) Indicating affirmation, agreement.
Indicating displeasure at another person's behaviour or statement.
As an adjective keen
is showing a quick and ardent willingness or responsiveness, enthusiastic, eager; interested, intense.As a verb keen
is to sharpen; to make cold.As a noun keen
is a prolonged wail for a deceased person.As an adverb really is
actually; in fact; in reality.As an interjection really is
indicating surprise at, or requesting confirmation of, some new information; to express skepticism.keen
English
Etymology 1
From (etyl) . More at (l), (l).Alternative forms
* keene, kene (archaic)Adjective
(er)- Of full keen will.
- So keen and greedy to confound a man.
- That my keen knife see not the wound it makes.
- To make our wits more keen .
- Before the keen inquiry of her thought.
- Good father cardinal, cry thou amen to my keen curses.
- Breasts the keen air, and carols as he goes.
- I'm keen to learn another language.
- I'm keen on learning another language.
- I'm keen on languages.
- I'm keen about learning languages.
- I'm keen for help.
- ''"Do you want to learn another language?" / "I'm keen ."
- I just got this peachy keen new dress.
- keen prices
Usage notes
* 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.Synonyms
* prompt; eager; ardent; sharp; acute; cutting; penetrating; biting; severe; sarcastic; satirical; piercing; shrewd. * See alsoDerived terms
* keen-witted * keen as mustard * keen on * keenly * keennessVerb
(en verb)- Cold winter keens the brightening flood.
Etymology 2
From (etyl) .Verb
(en verb)- Keen —meaning 'brisk'? Nay, here the Language warps:
'Tis singing bawdy Ballads to a Corpse.
Anagrams
* ----really
English
Adverb
(en adverb)The Mirror and the Lamp, passage=It was a joy to snatch some brief respite, and find himself in the rectory drawing–room. Listening here was as pleasant as talking; just to watch was pleasant. The young priests who lived here wore cassocks and birettas; their faces were fine and mild, yet really strong, like the rector's face; and in their intercourse with him and his wife they seemed to be brothers.}}
Usage notes
* Like its synonyms, really is, in practice, often used to preface an opinion, rather than a fact. (See also usage notes for .) : Increasingly people are recognising what's really important is having children. '>citationSynonyms
* (actually) actually, in fact, indeed, truly * (sense) soStatistics
*Interjection
(en interjection)- A: He won the Nobel Prize yesterday.
- B: Really?
- A: I've just been reading Shakespeare - he's one of the best authors like, ever!
- B: Really .
- A: That girl talks about herself way too much.
- B: Really . She's a nightmare.
- Well, really ! How rude.