eager en · ADJ · etymology 1
Pronunciation
- /ˈɪɡɚ/ (US, dialectal)
- /ˈiɡɚ/ (General-American)
- /ˈiːɡə/ (Received-Pronunciation)
- (US) audio
- /ˈɪɡə/ (US, dialectal)
Etymology
Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *h₂eḱ- Proto-Indo-European *-rós Proto-Indo-European *h₂eḱrós Proto-Italic *akris Classical Latin ācer Late Latin ācrus Old French aigrebor. Middle English egre English eager Inherited from Middle English egre, eger, from Old French aigre, egre (modern French aigre), from Latin ācrus, variant of ācer (“sharp, keen”); see acid, acerb, etc. Compare vinegar, alegar.
Meanings
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Desirous; keen to do or obtain something.
The hounds were eager in the chase.
You stayed up all night to get to the front of the queue. You must be very eager to get tickets.
Stacey is very eager to go cycling this weekend.
a crowd of eager and curious schoolboys
1850, Nathaniel Hawthorne, The Scarlet Letter, a Romance, Boston, Mass.: Ticknor, Reed, and Fields, →OCLC:I was eager to show my teacher how much I'd learned over the holidays.
When to her eager lips is brought / Her infant's thrilling kiss.
1827, [John Keble], The Christian Year: Thoughts in Verse for the Sundays and Holydays throughout the Year, volume (please specify |volume=I or II), Oxford, Oxfordshire: […] [B]y W. Baxter, for J. Parker; and C[harles] and J[ohn] Rivington, […], →OCLC: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.
1963, Margery Allingham, chapter 19, in The China Governess: A Mystery, London: Chatto & Windus, →OCLC:
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Not employing lazy evaluation; calculating results immediately, rather than deferring calculation until they are required.
an eager algorithm
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(dated) Brittle; inflexible; not ductile.
gold itself will be sometimes so eager, (as artists call it), that it will as little endure the hammer as glass itself
1689 (indicated as 1690), [John Locke], chapter 2, in An Essay Concerning Humane Understanding. […], London: […] Eliz[abeth] Holt, for Thomas Basset, […], →OCLC:
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(obsolete, qualifier:literal) Sharp; sour; acid.
like eager droppings into milk
c. 1599–1602 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Tragedie of Hamlet, Prince of Denmarke”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act I, scene v], page 9:
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(figuratively, obsolete) Sharp; keen; bitter; severe.
If so thou thinkest, vex him with eager words.
c. 1591–1592 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Third Part of Henry the Sixt, […]”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act II, scene vi], page 157:It is a nipping and an eager air.
c. 1599–1602 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Tragedie of Hamlet, Prince of Denmarke”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act I, scene iv], page 2:
Forms
| Spelling | Features | Labels | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| eagerest | Degree=Sup | lexicographic | |
| eagerer | Degree=Cmp | lexicographic | |
| eagre | alternative, obsolete | lexicographic | |
| aigre | alternative, obsolete | lexicographic | |
| most eager | Degree=Sup | lexicographic | |
| more eager | Degree=Cmp | lexicographic |
Antonyms
averse (antonym(s) of “desirous”) · reluctant (antonym(s) of “desirous”) · disinclined (antonym(s) of “desirous”) · unwilling (antonym(s) of “desirous”)
Deriveds
eagerly · eagerness · eager load · uneager · eagersome · eager beaver · beeregar · overeager
Synonyms
raring · fain · keen · hot · bursting (desirous) · athirst · solicitous · alacritous
Translations (79)
it avido (wanting something very much) · pl chętny (wanting something very much) · es anhelante (wanting something very much) · fi halukas (wanting something very much) · es anheloso (wanting something very much) · bg нетърпели́в (wanting something very much) · eo avida (wanting something very much) · la studiōsus (wanting something very much) · ca àvid (wanting something very much) · ca impacient (wanting something very much) · pl przejęty (wanting something very much) · mi tūkawikawi (wanting something very much) · es pilas (wanting something very much) · ru рву́щийся (wanting something very much) · uk нетерпели́вий (wanting something very much) · grc πρόθυμος (wanting something very much) · pl gorliwy (wanting something very much) · fr impatient (wanting something very much) · es afanoso (wanting something very much) · pl niecierpliwy (wanting something very much) · ro avid (wanting something very much) · fi hanakka (wanting something very much) · sv ivrig (wanting something very much) · hi आतुर (wanting something very much) · hi तत्पर (wanting something very much) · ro doritor (wanting something very much) · sa गृध्र (wanting something very much) · sco aiger (wanting something very much) · vi ham (wanting something very much) · cmn 急於 /急于 (wanting something very much) · vi hăm hở (wanting something very much) · mk желен (wanting something very much) · ro nerăbdător (wanting something very much) · es ilusionado (wanting something very much) · km ឆួល (wanting something very much) · be нецярплі́вы (wanting something very much) · ro dornic (wanting something very much) · gd dian (wanting something very much) · pl ochoczy (wanting something very much) · gd dealasach (wanting something very much) · ca desitjós (wanting something very much) · fi innokas (wanting something very much) · uk нетерпля́чий (wanting something very much) · de begierig (wanting something very much) · txb ārwer (wanting something very much) · ca ansiós (wanting something very much) · cy awyddus (wanting something very much) · km សម្រើបខ្លួន (wanting something very much) · pl skwapliwy (wanting something very much) · hu buzgó (wanting something very much) · fi kärkäs (wanting something very much) · ar مُشْتَاق (wanting something very much) · de gierig (wanting something very much) · la cupiens (wanting something very much) · tr arzulu (wanting something very much) · vo ledesirik (wanting something very much) · ru жа́ждущий (wanting something very much) · grc μετέωρος (wanting something very much) · ga cíocrach (wanting something very much) · ru нетерпели́вый (wanting something very much) · cs dychtivý (wanting something very much) · hy եռանդուն (wanting something very much) · fr désireux (wanting something very much) · ru стра́стно/си́льно жела́ющий (wanting something very much) · ga santach (wanting something very much) · la avidus (wanting something very much) · nl begerig (wanting something very much) · pt ávido (wanting something very much) · ca delerós (wanting something very much) · fr enthousiaste (wanting something very much) · hi उत्सुक (wanting something very much) · da ivrig (wanting something very much) · bg си́лно жела́ещ (wanting something very much) · es turnio (wanting something very much) · km កន្ត្រោង (wanting something very much) · no ivrig (wanting something very much) · de eifrig (wanting something very much) · af gretig (wanting something very much) · ro amator (wanting something very much)