Meaning & use
eagerness
Last updated
UK/ˈiːɡənəs/
US/ˈiːɡərnəs/
Meaning
noununcountable
A strong wish to do or have something, shown by excitement or impatience.
Grammar: No plural; often followed by to or for: eagerness to learn.
Patterns
- eagerness to do something
- eagerness for something
The students showed great eagerness to start the experiment.
His eagerness for praise was obvious.
She waited with eagerness for the results.
Common combinations
- great eagerness
- The children opened their gifts with great eagerness.
- eagerness to please
- His eagerness to please made him popular.
- eagerness to learn
- Her eagerness to learn impressed her teachers.
- show eagerness
- He showed little eagerness to join the group.
- boundless eagerness
- The puppy greeted us with boundless eagerness.
Synonyms and how they differ
- enthusiasm
- Enthusiasm is general excitement and interest, while eagerness looks forward to a particular action.
- keenness
- Keenness is more common in British English and suggests steady interest more than impatience.
- zeal
- Zeal is more intense and often describes dedication to a cause.
- impatience
- Impatience stresses annoyance at waiting, whereas eagerness is positive.
Opposites
Word family
Commonly confused: eagerness or anxiousness?
eagerness vs anxiousness
Anxiousness is a worried feeling, while eagerness is a happy wish to start.
Practice
Her ___ to start the trip made it hard for her to sleep the night before.
Choose one answer.
Eagerness to start shows excitement. The other options show a lack of desire to go.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “eagerness”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.
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