What's the difference between keen and shrewd?

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.

Shrewd


Definition:

  • (superl.) Inclining to shrew; disposing to curse or scold; hence, vicious; malicious; evil; wicked; mischievous; vexatious; rough; unfair; shrewish.
  • (superl.) Artful; wily; cunning; arch.
  • (superl.) Able or clever in practical affairs; sharp in business; astute; sharp-witted; sagacious; keen; as, a shrewd observer; a shrewd design; a shrewd reply.

Example Sentences:

  • (1) The crucial additional feature of his nature, however, was that the apparently guileless charm was accompanied by a razor-sharp shrewdness.
  • (2) The brewer does not think the pipeline will pay back in less than 20 years, but it appears to be a shrewd commercial move.
  • (3) From child migrants to the doctors’ dispute, principled compromise should be the mantra of the shrewd politician.
  • (4) Wilson, though, quick to adopt new personas, and adapt to new circumstances, adored the attention, and shrewdly exploited his role as local minor celebrity when it came to what he was really interested in - helping Manchester to recreate itself as a major city, with its radical, inventive and progressive traditions intact.
  • (5) She pursued many reforms with energy, intelligence and political shrewdness.
  • (6) Raynor, however, had shrewdly appreciated what England's tactically naive Walter Winterbottom had disastrously not; that it was Hidegkuti, in his deep-lying position, who made the Hungarian wheels turn.
  • (7) Most of his £3bn is based on his shrewd purchase of BHS in 2000.
  • (8) There were occasional bursts of vivacity: the comment, when the Tory government economised on a booster station for the BBC World Service, that "Nation shall murmur unto nation"; shrewd opposition to entry into the ERM "at an unsustainable rate"; and an early warning to Nigel Lawson, in 1988, of the looming economic crisis.
  • (9) He remained an admirably efficient analyst of certain plays and human motivation, and a shrewd guide for those in search of something to go to.
  • (10) He admitted that he has "some big decisions to make" but was too shrewd to act on the spur of the moment, when his mind was still clouded with a disappointment that will linger for a long while yet.
  • (11) But there is a proviso: the region's youth bulge came hand-in-hand with high-quality education that prepared a generation for the marketplace – as well as shrewd economic policies that widened that marketplace in the first place.
  • (12) A shrewd former military officer, Sarkisian, 61, has been in charge of the small landlocked nation of 2.9 million since winning a vote in 2008.
  • (13) Acute came from acus , Latin for needle, later denoting pointed things, so cute at first meant “acute, clever, keen-witted, sharp, shrewd”, according to the 1933 edition of the Oxford English Dictionary, which doesn’t suggest the term could describe visual appearance.
  • (14) After repeated failures to clear Cairo’s city centre of street vendors … the Cairo governorate issued a shrewd decree,” wrote Abdelrahman, in an article she published last year.
  • (15) Aided by shrewd trading on capital markets, JP Morgan and Goldman Sachs produced strong results this week but Citigroup and Bank of America , both of which have required huge injections of government money for survival, have struggled.
  • (16) Turnover Crystal Palace Accounts of CPFC 2010 Ltd for the year to 30 June 2015 • Ownership Steve Parish and US investors David Blitzer and Joshua Harris control the holding company; individual stakes not disclosed • Turnover 14th highest in League £102m , up from £90m in 2014 • Income Gate and match-day income £10m; Broadcasting & FA and PL income £80m; Sponsorship & advertising £4m; Commercial £5m; Other income £4m • Wage bill 15th highest in League £68m , up from £46m in 2014 • Wages as proportion of turnover 67% • Profit before tax £8m , following £23m profit in 2014 • Net debt £0 (£18m cash in bank) • Interest payable £0 • Highest-paid director No directors were paid State they are in: Palace finished 10th in 2014-15, maintaining their bounce under the shrewd stewardship of Steve Parish and his three fellow investors, all lifelong fans, who bought the club out of administration in 2010.
  • (17) Meanwhile, something’s afoot in the wind at Víctor’s old club, as Barcelona are looking at renewing the contracts of Leo Messi and Neymar , having shrewdly spotted they’re both decent.
  • (18) The recruitment document said, however, that a permanent secretary "balances ministers' or high-level stakeholders' immediate needs or priorities with the long-term aims of their department, being shrewd about what needs to be sacrificed, at what costs and what the implications might be".
  • (19) For a man who’s often considered a shrewd politician, David Cameron lets his government slide into an extraordinary number of damaging and unnecessary conflicts.
  • (20) A large man with a rumpled shirt, snowy beard and hair pulled into a ponytail, the commissioner resembles a hippy Santa Claus but is a tough, shrewd operator.

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