Keen vs. Sharp
Edited by Muazma Batool — By Muneeza Rehman — Updated on October 30, 2023
Keen implies a sharp, excited interest or eagerness. Sharp refers to a fine edge or point that can cut or pierce.
Difference Between Keen and Sharp
To be keen on something suggests a fervent, intense, or enthusiastic demeanor. Sharp, on the other hand, may convey intellectual acuity or a abruptness in manner or form.
Muneeza Rehman
Sep 30, 2023
Keen conveys eagerness or enthusiasm in a mental or sensory way. On the other hand, sharp might describe an object’s ability to make clean cuts or describe acute intellectual or physical traits.
Muazma Batool
Sep 30, 2023
Keen implies having a fine edge or point, but it's often used metaphorically to describe mental acuity. While sharp physically implies an ability to cut smoothly or be pointy.
Muneeza Rehman
Sep 30, 2023
Keen can describe a high degree of sensitivity or intensity in various senses. Conversely, sharp may refer to a sudden, striking, or abrupt quality or form.
Muneeza Rehman
Sep 30, 2023
Keen vs. Sharp Comparison Chart
Keen vs. Sharp Definitions
◉Sharp
Having a thin edge or a fine point suitable for or capable of cutting or piercing.
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May 03, 2023
◉Keen
Sharp; vivid; strong
"His entire body hungered for keen sensation, something exciting" (Richard Wright).
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May 03, 2023
◉Sharp
Intellectually penetrating; astute
was sharp in his analysis of the problem.
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May 03, 2023
◉Sharp
Crafty or deceitful, as in business dealings
sharp selling practices.
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May 03, 2023
◉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.
She’s keen to learn another language.
“Do you want to go on holiday with me?” “Yes, I’m keen.”
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May 03, 2023
◉Keen
Acute of mind, having or expressing mental acuteness; penetrating, sharp.
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May 03, 2023
◉Sharp
Strongly affecting the senses of smell and taste
a sharp pungent odor.
a sharp cheese.
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May 03, 2023
◉Keen
Of cold, wind, etc.: cutting, penetrating, piercing, sharp.
a keen wind
the cold is very keen
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May 03, 2023
◉Keen
Sharp; having a fine edge or point; as, a keen razor, or a razor with a keen edge.
A bow he bare and arwes [arrows] bright and kene.
That my keen knife see not the wound it makes.
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May 03, 2023
◉Sharp
A sign (♯) used to indicate that a note is to be raised by a semitone.
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May 03, 2023
◉Keen
Acute of mind; sharp; penetrating; having or expressing mental acuteness; as, a man of keen understanding; a keen look; keen features.
To make our wits more keen.
Before the keen inquiry of her thought.
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May 03, 2023
◉Keen
Bitter; piercing; acrimonious; cutting; stinging; severe; as, keen satire or sarcasm.
Good father cardinal, cry thou amenTo my keen curses.
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May 03, 2023
◉Keen
Piercing; penetrating; cutting; sharp; - applied to cold, wind, etc.; as, a keen wind; the cold is very keen.
Breasts the keen air, and carols as he goes.
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May 03, 2023
◉Keen
Eager; vehement; fierce; as, a keen appetite.
So keen and greedy to confound a man.
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May 03, 2023
◉Sharp
Terminating in a point or edge, especially one that can cut easily; not dull, obtuse, or rounded.
I keep my knives sharp so that they don't slip unexpectedly while carving.
Ernest made the pencil too sharp and accidentally stabbed himself with it.
A face with sharp features
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May 03, 2023
◉Sharp
(colloquial) Intelligent.
My nephew is a sharp lad; he can count to 100 in six languages, and he's only five years old.
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May 03, 2023
◉Sharp
(music) Higher than usual by one semitone (denoted by the symbol ♯ after the name of the note).
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May 03, 2023
◉Keen
having or demonstrating ability to recognize or draw fine distinctions;
an acute observer of politics and politicians
incisive comments
icy knifelike reasoning
as sharp and incisive as the stroke of a fang
penetrating insight
frequent penetrative observations
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May 03, 2023
◉Sharp
(music) Higher in pitch than required.
The orchestra's third violin several times was sharp about an eighth of a tone.
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May 03, 2023
◉Sharp
Having an intense, acrid flavour.
Milly couldn't stand sharp cheeses when she was pregnant, because they made her nauseated.
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May 03, 2023
◉Keen
very penetrating and clear and sharp in operation;
an incisive mind
a keen intelligence
of sharp and active intellect
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May 03, 2023
◉Sharp
Sudden and intense.
A pregnant woman during labor normally experiences a number of sharp contractions.
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May 03, 2023
◉Keen
very good;
he did a bully job
a neat sports car
had a great time at the party
you look simply smashing
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May 03, 2023
◉Sharp
(colloquial) Illegal or dishonest.
Michael had a number of sharp ventures that he kept off the books.
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May 03, 2023
◉Keen
as physically painful as if caused by a sharp instrument;
a cutting wind
keen winds
knifelike cold
piercing knifelike pains
piercing cold
piercing criticism
a stabbing pain
lancinating pain
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May 03, 2023
◉Sharp
(colloquial) Keenly or unduly attentive to one's own interests; shrewd.
a sharp dealer;
a sharp customer
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May 03, 2023
◉Sharp
Exact, precise, accurate; keen.
You'll need sharp aim to make that shot.
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May 03, 2023
◉Sharp
Offensive, critical, or acrimonious.
sharp criticism
When the two rivals met, first there were sharp words, and then a fight broke out.
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May 03, 2023
◉Sharp
(colloquial) Stylish or attractive.
You look so sharp in that tuxedo!
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May 03, 2023
◉Sharp
Observant; alert; acute.
Keep a sharp watch on the prisoners. I don't want them to escape!
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May 03, 2023
◉Sharp
Forming a small angle; especially, forming an angle of less than ninety degrees.
Drive down Main for three quarters of a mile, then make a sharp right turn onto Pine.
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May 03, 2023
◉Sharp
Steep; precipitous; abrupt.
a sharp ascent or descent; a sharp turn or curve
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May 03, 2023
◉Sharp
Said of as extreme a value as possible.
Sure, any planar graph can be five-colored. But that result is not sharp: in fact, any planar graph can be four-colored. That is sharp: the same can't be said for any lower number.
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May 03, 2023
◉Sharp
Piercing; keen; severe; painful.
a sharp pain; the sharp and frosty winter air
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May 03, 2023
◉Sharp
Eager or keen in pursuit; impatient for gratification.
a sharp appetite
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May 03, 2023
◉Sharp
Uttered in a whisper, or with the breath alone; aspirated; unvoiced.
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May 03, 2023
◉Sharp
(music) In a higher pitch than is correct or desirable.
I didn't enjoy the concert much because the tenor kept going sharp on the high notes.
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May 03, 2023
◉Sharp
(music) The symbol ♯, placed after the name of a note in the key signature or before a note on the staff to indicate that the note is to be played a semitone higher.
The pitch pipe sounded out a perfect F♯ (F sharp).
Transposition frequently is harder to read because of all the sharps and flats on the staff.
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May 03, 2023
◉Sharp
(music) A note that is played a semitone higher than usual; denoted by the name of the note that is followed by the symbol ♯.
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May 03, 2023
◉Sharp
(music) A note that is sharp in a particular key.
The piece was difficult to read after it had been transposed, since in the new key many notes were sharps.
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May 03, 2023
◉Sharp
(music) The scale having a particular sharp note as its tonic.
Beethoven's "Moonlight Sonata" is written in C♯ minor (C sharp minor.)
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May 03, 2023
◉Sharp
Something that is sharp.
Place sharps in the specially marked red container for safe disposal.
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May 03, 2023
◉Sharp
A dishonest person; a cheater.
The casino kept in the break room a set of pictures of known sharps for the bouncers to see.
This usage is often classified as variant spelling of shark, and unrelated to the 'pointed' or 'cutting' meanings of sharp.
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May 03, 2023
◉Sharp
A sewing needle with a very slender point, more pointed than a blunt or a between.
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May 03, 2023
◉Sharp
(in the plural) Fine particles of husk mixed with coarse particle of flour of cereals; middlings.
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May 03, 2023
◉Sharp
(music) To raise the pitch of a note half a step making a natural note a sharp.
That new musician must be tone deaf: he sharped half the notes of the song!
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May 03, 2023
◉Sharp
Having a very thin edge or fine point; of a nature to cut or pierce easily; not blunt or dull; keen.
He dies upon my scimeter's sharp point.
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May 03, 2023
◉Sharp
Terminating in a point or edge; not obtuse or rounded; somewhat pointed or edged; peaked or ridged; as, a sharp hill; sharp features.
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May 03, 2023
◉Sharp
Affecting the sense as if pointed or cutting, keen, penetrating, acute: to the taste or smell, pungent, acid, sour, as ammonia has a sharp taste and odor; to the hearing, piercing, shrill, as a sharp sound or voice; to the eye, instantaneously brilliant, dazzling, as a sharp flash.
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May 03, 2023
◉Sharp
Very trying to the feelings; piercing; keen; severe; painful; distressing; as, sharp pain, weather; a sharp and frosty air.
Sharp misery had worn him to the bones.
The morning sharp and clear.
In sharpest perils faithful proved.
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May 03, 2023
◉Sharp
Cutting in language or import; biting; sarcastic; cruel; harsh; rigorous; severe; as, a sharp rebuke.
To that place the sharp Athenian lawCan not pursue us.
Be thy words severe,Sharp as merits but the sword forbear.
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May 03, 2023
◉Sharp
Of keen perception; quick to discern or distinguish; having nice discrimination; acute; penetrating; sagacious; clever; as, a sharp eye; sharp sight, hearing, or judgment.
Nothing makes men sharper . . . than want.
Many other things belong to the material world, wherein the sharpest philosophers have never ye arrived at clear and distinct ideas.
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May 03, 2023
◉Sharp
Eager in pursuit; keen in quest; impatient for gratification; keen; as, a sharp appetite.
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May 03, 2023
◉Sharp
Fierce; ardent; fiery; violent; impetuous.
A sharp assault already is begun.
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May 03, 2023
◉Sharp
Keenly or unduly attentive to one's own interest; close and exact in dealing; shrewd; as, a sharp dealer; a sharp customer.
The necessity of being so sharp and exacting.
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May 03, 2023
◉Sharp
Steep; precipitous; abrupt; as, a sharp ascent or descent; a sharp turn or curve.
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May 03, 2023
◉Sharp
Uttered in a whisper, or with the breath alone, without voice, as certain consonants, such as p, k, t, f; surd; nonvocal; aspirated.
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May 03, 2023
◉Sharp
To a point or edge; piercingly; eagerly; sharply.
The head [of a spear] full sharp yground.
You bite so sharp at reasons.
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May 03, 2023
◉Sharp
A sharp tool or weapon.
If butchers had but the manners to go to sharps, gentlemen would be contented with a rubber at cuffs.
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May 03, 2023
◉Sharp
The character [$] used to indicate that the note before which it is placed is to be raised a half step, or semitone, in pitch.
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May 03, 2023
◉Sharp
A sewing needle having a very slender point; a needle of the most pointed of the three grades, blunts, betweens, and sharps.
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May 03, 2023
◉Sharp
To raise above the proper pitch; to elevate the tone of; especially, to raise a half step, or semitone, above the natural tone.
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May 03, 2023
◉Sharp
a musical notation indicating one half step higher than the note named
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May 03, 2023
◉Sharp
(of something seen or heard) clearly defined;
a sharp photographic image
the sharp crack of a twig
the crisp snap of dry leaves underfoot
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May 03, 2023
◉Sharp
having or demonstrating ability to recognize or draw fine distinctions;
an acute observer of politics and politicians
incisive comments
icy knifelike reasoning
as sharp and incisive as the stroke of a fang
penetrating insight
frequent penetrative observations
Muneeza Rehman
May 03, 2023
◉Sharp
marked by practical hardheaded intelligence;
a smart businessman
an astute tenant always reads the small print in a lease
he was too shrewd to go along with them on a road that could lead only to their overthrow
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May 03, 2023
◉Sharp
extremely steep;
an abrupt canyon
the precipitous rapids of the upper river
the precipitous hills of Chinese paintings
a sharp drop
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May 03, 2023
◉Sharp
keenly and painfully felt; as if caused by a sharp edge or point;
a sharp pain
sharp winds
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May 03, 2023
◉Sharp
very penetrating and clear and sharp in operation;
an incisive mind
a keen intelligence
of sharp and active intellect
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May 03, 2023
◉Sharp
having or made by a thin edge or sharp point; suitable for cutting or piercing;
a sharp knife
a pencil with a sharp point
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May 03, 2023
◉Sharp
very sudden and in great amount or degree;
a sharp drop in the stock market
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May 03, 2023
◉Sharp
changing suddenly in direction and degree;
the road twists sharply after the light
turn sharp left here
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May 03, 2023
Keen vs. Sharp Frequently Asked Questions
How is sharp used to describe objects
Sharp describes objects as having a fine edge or point that can cut or pierce.
Muazma Batool
Sep 30, 2023
Can keen be used to describe mental attributes
Yes keen can describe someone as having a sharp or perceptive mind.
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Sep 30, 2023
How can sharp describe a physical action
Sharp can describe a movement as abrupt or precise.
Jonathan
Sep 30, 2023
Is it correct to say keen blade
Yes keen can describe a blade as sharp or effective at cutting.
Muneeza Rehman
Sep 30, 2023
Is sharp used in a musical context
Yes sharp indicates that a musical note is slightly higher in pitch.
William
Sep 30, 2023
What does it mean to be keen on something
To be keen on something implies having a strong interest or desire for it.
Muneeza Rehman
Sep 30, 2023
What does keen generally imply
Keen often implies a great eagerness or enthusiasm.
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Sep 30, 2023
Can sharp have a negative connotation
Yes sharp can negatively describe an abrupt or harsh manner or tone.
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Sep 30, 2023
Does keen always imply something positive
While often positive keen can neutrally describe a heightened state of a sense or quality.
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Sep 30, 2023
How does sharp contrast with dull
Sharp implies a capacity to cut or pierce easily while dull suggests a lack of such ability.
Nolan
Sep 30, 2023
Content Creators
Written by
Muneeza RehmanAt Comparisons.wiki, Muneeza skillfully navigates the vast sea of information, ensuring clarity and accuracy as the lead content editor. With a keen eye for detail, she curates every comparison to enlighten and engage readers.
Edited by
Muazma BatoolAs a content editor, Muazma Batool is not just a grammar guru but a creative mastermind who breathes life into every word. With an eagle eye for detail and a passion for storytelling, she transforms bland text into engaging content that captivates audiences and drives results.
