What's the difference between fierce and keen?

Fierce


Definition:

  • (superl.) Furious; violent; unrestrained; impetuous; as, a fierce wind.
  • (superl.) Vehement in anger or cruelty; ready or eager to kill or injure; of a nature to inspire terror; ferocious.
  • (superl.) Excessively earnest, eager, or ardent.

Example Sentences:

  • (1) Migrant voters are almost as numerous as current Ukip supporters but they are widely overlooked and risk being increasingly disaffected by mainstream politics and the fierce rhetoric around immigration caused partly by the rise of Ukip,” said Robert Ford from Manchester University, the report’s co-author.
  • (2) Yves was the vulnerable, suffering artist and Pierre the fiercely controlling protector: a man who, in Lespert's film, is painfully aware of his public image – "the pimp who's found his all-star hooker".
  • (3) Some business groups have been lobbying fiercely against the reform, though others support it.
  • (4) As Greece pleads with its eurozone creditors for more time in meeting its fiscal adjustment targets, Dombrovskis is a fierce champion of surgical austerity applied quickly and ruthlessly.
  • (5) Despite its dominance, the PAP continues to fiercely restrict freedom of assembly and speech.
  • (6) Recruitment has not returned to pre-credit crunch levels, and there is fierce competition for new jobs.
  • (7) And in Colorado the fiercely anti-immigration conservative and former presidential candidate Ted Tancredo was comfortably overcome by a more moderate former congressman, Bob Beauprez, in the primary to choose the Republican candidate for the state's governor.
  • (8) Andrea Dworkin, who has died aged 58, was a feminist who came to represent the fierce debate on pornography and sexual violence.
  • (9) In the past fortnight protesters have found themselves caught in the middle of fierce gun battles between regime forces and defected soldiers who have been guarding the main protest camp since March.
  • (10) The last of these come into force in 2014, and after fierce resistance from the larger operators, Kroes is not proposing any more price reductions.
  • (11) Thus in your own words you have said why it was utterly inappropriate for you to use the platform of a Pac hearing in this way.” He suggested that many professionals were “in despair at the lack of understanding and cheap haranguing which characterise your manner” after a series of hearings at which Hodge has led fierce interrogations of senior business figures and others.
  • (12) Allegations that British soldiers murdered insurgents and mutilated their bodies after a fierce firefight in Iraq were roundly rejected by an official inquiry, which also found that a number of prisoners were abused and that troops breached the Geneva convention.
  • (13) So there will no doubt be another fierce battle next year over this issue.
  • (14) There's something very earnest about the build up to this MLS Cup final, as if the battle on the field between Sporting Kansas City and Real Salt Lake starts with a competition to see which team can "respect" the other one more fiercely.
  • (15) Cameron is caught between fierce opposition to reform on his own benches, Labour criticism of the bill, and the determination of his deputy Nick Clegg to press ahead with a reform that has been delayed for 100 years.
  • (16) Liverpool were restricted to shots from the edge of the area throughout the opening half, mainly from Alberto who went close with one curling effort and had fierce drive parried by the goalkeeper Mark Oxley.
  • (17) However, City sources said that SABMiller is likely to launch a fierce defence against a deal and could instead look to combine with Diageo , the British owner of Guinness and Johnnie Walker whisky.
  • (18) Tesco’s accounting scandal has led to concerns about the way the sector handles payments from suppliers for promoting products or hitting sales targets, and UK grocers are operating under fierce competition from discounters such as the German company Aldi which has reported a 65% rise in profits in the UK.
  • (19) Liverpool did not begin like a side who believed a top-four finish was beyond them and continued to apply fierce pressure.
  • (20) Sitting in the Khartoum restaurant as the fierce late-afternoon sun intrudes through the windows, Lubna dismisses the notion that western praise might be a drawback in a country like Sudan.

Keen


Definition:

  • (superl.) Sharp; having a fine edge or point; as, a keen razor, or a razor with a keen edge.
  • (superl.) Acute of mind; sharp; penetrating; having or expressing mental acuteness; as, a man of keen understanding; a keen look; keen features.
  • (superl.) Bitter; piercing; acrimonious; cutting; stinging; severe; as, keen satire or sarcasm.
  • (superl.) Piercing; penetrating; cutting; sharp; -- applied to cold, wind, etc, ; as, a keen wind; the cold is very keen.
  • (superl.) Eager; vehement; fierce; as, a keen appetite.
  • (v. t.) To sharpen; to make cold.
  • (n.) A prolonged wail for a deceased person. Cf. Coranach.
  • (v. i.) To wail as a keener does.

Example Sentences:

  • (1) That the BBC has probably not been as vulnerable since the 1980s is also true – not least because the enemies of impartiality are more powerful, and the BBC's competitors (maimed after a year's exposure of their own behaviour in the Leveson inquiry ) are keen to wreck it.
  • (2) It has me as a listener and I am keen as well on sciences, arts, geography, history and politics, and I belong to two campaigns in Brighton and Chichester against privatisation of the NHS, and with some successes.
  • (3) Theresa May to visit India in signal of trading priorities post-Brexit Read more Cable said India had been keen to expand “ Mode 4 ” market access: the ability to bring in staff – Indian IT experts, for example – as part of trading in services.
  • (4) As corruption consistently ranks as a top concern for Spaniards, second only to unemployment, and with an eye on upcoming municipal and regional elections in the spring, Spain’s political parties have been keen to appear as if they are tackling the issue.
  • (5) He is understood to be keen to remain in the London area.
  • (6) The tech workers are mostly well-paid and keen to live downtown.
  • (7) Some Labour MPs, such as Frank Field and David Miliband, are keen on primaries.
  • (8) Professor Androsov was extremely hospitable and showed a keen interest in the freer exchange of knowledge between American and Soviet surgeons.
  • (9) The government, too, is keen to strike a conciliatory note, at least compared with the strident tones of the Iron Lady's day.
  • (10) Photograph: Peter Beaumont for the Guardian For his part the leader of Hadash, the veteran socialist party in Israel that emphasises Arab-Jewish cooperation, Odeh has now attracted a political star status most obvious on the stump in Lod on Wednesday in the repeated cries of “Ayman!” by shopkeepers and passersby keen to shake his hand or be photographed with him.
  • (11) This seemed contradictory for a government keen on getting people out of their cars, and given that at the time the Treasury finances were relatively healthy.
  • (12) Palaszczuk said she was keen to use her first attendance at a Coag meeting to push for the federal government to “accelerate some of their money towards the states” for the national disability insurance scheme.
  • (13) Even more striking is the stance being adopted by Hagan and her Democratic supporters, who have been as keen to discuss social issues as the Republicans have been to avoid them.
  • (14) Britain's estate agents today report a surge in the number of properties for sale amid signs jittery vendors are keen to strike a deal before next month's general election.
  • (15) It is a game to spend two hours together and enjoy our time together and say: ‘I was happy.’” Guardiola, who will be joined by the former Arsenal and Everton midfielder Mikel Arteta on his coaching staff , is keen to promote players from City’s junior ranks.
  • (16) May is thought to have been keen to examine more closely the role of Chinese companies in the project amid concerns about the impact on national security and despite her predecessor David Cameron’s strong support for Hinkley .
  • (17) Ian Livingstone is not all that keen on being photographed near the life-sized model of Lara Croft in his study – even though he was largely responsible for launching her on the world nearly 20 years ago, and the heroine of the Tomb Raider video games, comics and films helped to make his fortune.
  • (18) We were very keen to preserve the silhouette of the Leadenhall building [Cheesegrater],” says Richards.
  • (19) The Russians are also keen on it.” A Trump adviser confirmed the president-elect’s intention to meet Putin very soon and said that Reykjavik was under active consideration.
  • (20) At the same time, he is keen to do everything in his power to help Palace pick up three crucial points, right down to giving Pulis chapter and verse on the Cardiff players he knows inside out.