kene
kene is the obsolete form of keen.
Meaning of keen
Adjective
keen (comparative keener or more keen, superlative keenest or most keen)
- Often with a prepositional phrase, or with to and an infinitive: showing a quick and ardent responsiveness or willingness; eager, enthusiastic, interested.
- I’m keen on computers.
- Fierce, intense, vehement.
- This boy has a keen appetite.
- Having a fine edge or point; sharp.
- The tongues of mocking wenches are as keen
As is the Razors edge, inuisible: […]c. 1595–1596 (date written), William Shakespeare, “Loues Labour’s Lost”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward]...
- Synonyms:
- sharp
- The tongues of mocking wenches are as keen
- Acute of mind, having or expressing mental acuteness; penetrating, sharp.
- For when we rage, aduiſe is often ſeene
By blunting vs to make our wits more keene.1609, William Shakespeare, “A Louers Complaint”, in Shake-speares Sonnets. […], London: By G[eorge] Eld for T[homas] T[horpe] and are to be sold by William Aspley, →OCLC
- For when we rage, aduiſe is often ſeene
- Acrimonious, bitter, piercing.
- keen satire or sarcasm
- Cutting, penetrating, piercing, sharp.
- a keen wind
Forms of kene
| comparative | kener |
|---|---|
| comparative | more kene |
| superlative | kenest |
| superlative | most kene |
Questions about kene
- What is kene the obsolete form of?
- Kene is the obsolete form of keen.
Words near kene in the dictionary
Source and license
Adapted from Wiktionary: kene (page history and authors); keen (page history and authors). Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws reformatted the entry and added links. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.
Last updated:
Cite this entry: “kene.” Word.ws, https://word.ws/kene. Based on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.
