Cry vs. Keen — What's the Difference?
Difference Between Cry and Keen
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Compare with Definitions
Cry
Shed tears, typically as an expression of distress, pain, or sorrow
Don't cry—it'll be all right
You'll cry tears of joy
Keen
Having or showing eagerness or enthusiasm
A keen gardener
John was keen to help
Cry
Shout or scream, typically to express fear, pain, or grief
The little girl fell down and cried for mummy
Keen
(of a sense) highly developed
I have keen eyesight
Cry
(of a bird or other animal) make a loud characteristic call
The wild birds cried out over the water
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Keen
(of the edge or point of a blade) sharp
The keen blade went through the weeds
Cry
A loud inarticulate shout or scream expressing a powerful feeling or emotion
A cry of despair
Keen
(of activity or feeling) intense
There could be keen competition to provide the service
Cry
The loud characteristic call of a bird or other animal
The harsh cries of magpies
Keen
Excellent
I would soon fly to distant stars—how keen!
Cry
A spell of shedding tears
I still have a cry, sometimes, when I realize that my mother is dead
Keen
Wail in grief for a dead person
The body of Johnny was taken by his own people who keened over him
Their keening womenfolk
Cry
A pack of hounds
He kept a cry of hounds to hunt in the wilderness
Keen
An Irish funeral song accompanied by wailing in lamentation for the dead.
Cry
To shed tears, especially as a result of strong emotion such as grief, sorrow, pain, or joy.
Keen
Having a fine, sharp cutting edge or point.
Cry
To call loudly; shout.
Keen
Having or marked by intellectual quickness and acuity.
Cry
To utter a characteristic sound or call. Used of an animal.
Keen
Acutely sensitive
A keen ear.
Cry
To demand or require immediate action or remedy
Grievances crying out for redress.
Keen
Sharp; vivid; strong
"His entire body hungered for keen sensation, something exciting" (Richard Wright).
Cry
To utter loudly; call out.
Keen
Intense or bracing
A keen wind.
Cry
To proclaim or announce in public
Crying one's wares in the marketplace.
Keen
Pungent; acrid
A keen smell of skunk was left behind.
Cry
To bring into a particular condition by weeping
Cry oneself to sleep.
Keen
Ardent; enthusiastic
A keen chess player.
Cry
(Archaic) To beg for; implore
Cry forgiveness.
Keen
Eagerly desirous
Keen on going to Europe in the spring.
Cry
A loud utterance of an emotion, such as fear, anger, or despair.
Keen
(Slang) Great; splendid; fine
What a keen day!.
Cry
A loud exclamation; a shout or call.
Keen
A loud wailing or lament for the dead.
Cry
A fit of weeping
Had a good long cry.
Keen
To wail in lamentation, especially for the dead.
Cry
An urgent entreaty or appeal.
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.”
Cry
A public or general demand or complaint.
Keen
Fierce, intense, vehement.
This boy has a keen appetite.
Cry
A common view or general report.
Keen
Having a fine edge or point; sharp.
Cry
An advertising of wares by calling out
Vendors' cries at the fish market.
Keen
Acute of mind, having or expressing mental acuteness; penetrating, sharp.
Cry
A rallying call or signal
A cry to arms.
Keen
Acrimonious, bitter, piercing.
Keen satire or sarcasm
Cry
A slogan, especially a political one.
Keen
Of cold, wind, etc.: cutting, penetrating, piercing, sharp.
A keen wind
The cold is very keen
Cry
The characteristic call or utterance of an animal.
Keen
(Britain) Of prices, extremely low as to be competitive.
Cry
The baying of hounds during the chase.
Keen
Marvelous.
I just got this peachy keen new dress.
Cry
A pack of hounds.
Keen
(obsolete) Brave, courageous; audacious, bold.
Cry
(Obsolete) Clamor; outcry.
Keen
To make cold, to sharpen.
Cry
(Obsolete) A public announcement; a proclamation.
Keen
(transitive) To utter with a loud wailing voice or wordless cry.
Cry
(intransitive) To shed tears; to weep.
That sad movie always makes me cry.
Keen
(transitive) To mourn.
Cry
(transitive) To utter loudly; to call out; to declare publicly.
Keen
A prolonged wail for a deceased person.
Cry
(ambitransitive) To shout, scream, yell.
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.
Cry
(intransitive) To utter inarticulate sounds, as animals do.
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.
Cry
(transitive) To cause to do something, or bring to some state, by crying or weeping.
Tonight I’ll cry myself to sleep.
Keen
Bitter; piercing; acrimonious; cutting; stinging; severe; as, keen satire or sarcasm.
Good father cardinal, cry thou amenTo my keen curses.
Cry
To make oral and public proclamation of; to notify or advertise by outcry, especially things lost or found, goods to be sold, auctioned, etc.
To cry goods
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.
Cry
Hence, to publish the banns of, as for marriage.
Keen
Eager; vehement; fierce; as, a keen appetite.
So keen and greedy to confound a man.
Cry
A shedding of tears; the act of crying.
After we broke up, I retreated to my room for a good cry.
Keen
Wonderful; delightful; marvelous; as, that would be keen.
Cry
A shout or scream.
I heard a cry from afar.
Keen
To sharpen; to make cold.
Cold winter keens the brightening flood.
Cry
Words shouted or screamed.
A battle cry
Keen
To wail as a keener does.
Cry
A clamour or outcry.
Keen
A prolonged wail for a deceased person. Cf. Coranach.
Cry
(collectively) A group of hounds.
Keen
A funeral lament sung with loud wailing
Cry
A pack or company of people.
Keen
Express grief verbally;
We lamented the death of the child
Cry
(of an animal) A typical sound made by the species in question.
"Woof" is the cry of a dog, while "neigh" is the cry of a horse.
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
Cry
A desperate or urgent request.
Keen
Intense or sharp;
Suffered exquisite pain
Felt exquisite pleasure
Cry
(obsolete) Common report; gossip.
Keen
Very penetrating and clear and sharp in operation;
An incisive mind
A keen intelligence
Of sharp and active intellect
Cry
To make a loud call or cry; to call or exclaim vehemently or earnestly; to shout; to vociferate; to proclaim; to pray; to implore.
And about the ninth hour, Jesus cried with a loud voice.
Clapping their hands, and crying with loud voice.
Hear the voice of my supplications when I cry unto thee.
The voice of him that crieth in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord.
Some cried after him to return.
Keen
Very good;
He did a bully job
A neat sports car
Had a great time at the party
You look simply smashing
Cry
To utter lamentations; to lament audibly; to express pain, grief, or distress, by weeping and sobbing; to shed tears; to bawl, as a child.
Ye shall cry for sorrow of heart.
I could find it in my heart to disgrace my man's apparel and to cry like a woman.
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
Cry
To utter inarticulate sounds, as animals.
The young ravens which cry.
In a cowslip's bell I lieThere I couch when owls do cry.
Keen
Having a sharp cutting edge or point;
A keen blade
Cry
To utter loudly; to call out; to shout; to sound abroad; to declare publicly.
All, all, cry shame against ye, yet I 'll speak.
The man . . . ran on,crying, Life! life! Eternal life!
Cry
To cause to do something, or bring to some state, by crying or weeping; as, to cry one's self to sleep.
Cry
To make oral and public proclamation of; to declare publicly; to notify or advertise by outcry, especially things lost or found, goods to be sold, ets.; as, to cry goods, etc.
Love is lost, and thus she cries him.
Cry
To publish the banns of, as for marriage.
I should not be surprised if they were cried in church next Sabbath.
Men of dissolute lives cry down religion, because they would not be under the restraints of it.
Cry
A loud utterance; especially, the inarticulate sound produced by one of the lower animals; as, the cry of hounds; the cry of wolves.
Cry
Outcry; clamor; tumult; popular demand.
Again that cry was found to have been as unreasonable as ever.
Cry
Any expression of grief, distress, etc., accompanied with tears or sobs; a loud sound, uttered in lamentation.
There shall be a great cry throughout all the land.
An infant crying in the night,An infant crying for the light;And with no language but a cry.
Cry
Loud expression of triumph or wonder or of popular acclamation or favor.
The cry went once on thee.
Cry
Importunate supplication.
O, the most piteous cry of the poor souls.
Cry
Public advertisement by outcry; proclamation, as by hawkers of their wares.
The street cries of London.
Cry
Common report; fame.
The cry goes that you shall marry her.
Cry
A word or phrase caught up by a party or faction and repeated for effect; as, the party cry of the Tories.
All now depends upon a good cry.
Cry
A pack of hounds.
A cry more tunableWas never hollaed to, nor cheered with horn.
Cry
A pack or company of persons; - in contempt.
Would not this . . . get me a fellowship in a cry of players?
Cry
The crackling noise made by block tin when it is bent back and forth.
Cry
A loud utterance; often in protest or opposition;
The speaker was interrupted by loud cries from the rear of the audience
Cry
A loud utterance of emotion (especially when inarticulate);
A cry of rage
A yell of pain
Cry
A slogan used to rally support for a cause;
A cry to arms
Our watchword will be `democracy'
Cry
A fit of weeping;
Had a good cry
Cry
The characteristic utterance of an animal;
Animal cries filled the night
Cry
Utter a sudden loud cry;
She cried with pain when the doctor inserted the needle
I yelled to her from the window but she couldn't hear me
Cry
Shed tears because of sadness, rage, or pain;
She cried bitterly when she heard the news of his death
The girl in the wheelchair wept with frustration when she could not get up the stairs
Cry
Utter aloud; often with surprise, horror, or joy;
`I won!' he exclaimed
`Help!' she cried
`I'm here,' the mother shouted when she saw her child looking lost
Cry
Proclaim or announce in public;
Before we had newspapers, a town cryer would cry the news
He cried his merchandise in the market square
Cry
Demand immediate action;
This situation is crying for attention
Cry
Utter a characteristic sound;
The cat was crying
Cry
Bring into a particular state by crying;
The little boy cried himself to sleep
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