Keen on means: fond of; appreciative of.. There is no real cause for parental concern; it is descriptive vocabulary rather than risky behaviour. If your teen uses it, context will usually make the intent clear. A short, curious question about where they heard it is usually all that is needed to know whether to follow up. For most families this word will pass by without incident; it is more a vocabulary curiosity than a parenting concern.
keen on
(UK, parts of North America) fond of; appreciative of.
Seen in the wild
Unless its a Monarch in which case we're naming as much infrastructure as possible after them I will be in the ground before I call it the Elizabeth Line and I'm not keen on Victoria line either.
🚨Juventus are working on a deal to sign Alisson Becker this summer. The player is keen on the move, but is not agitating for a move. Liverpool are calm about the situation. [Ben Jacobs]
Finished Hyperion by Dan Simmons. Have to say… very disappointed with it to be honest. Not keen on the Canterbury Tales structure to the narrative. “The Terror” is a far better book.
and I'm not all that keen on Grandad's toenails either ..
I'm trying out Zed today, because fuck it, and there's a bug in the GDScript extension that I'm keen on fixing 👀
Definitions
(UK, parts of North America) fond of; appreciative of.
I'm not keen on fish with lots of bones.
Keen on means: fond of; appreciative of.. There is no real cause for parental concern; it is descriptive vocabulary rather than risky behaviour. If your teen uses it, context will usually make the intent clear. A short, curious question about where they heard it is usually all that is needed to know whether to follow up. For most families this word will pass by without incident; it is more a vocabulary curiosity than a parenting concern.
keen on means: fond of; appreciative of.. Register: neutral, standard English. A common learner mistake is using the word in a register it does not fit, or assuming a single global meaning; native speakers immediately notice when slang appears in formal contexts, so always check the surrounding register before producing it yourself. A formal-English equivalent (a synonym or descriptive phrase) is usually safer in writing. When in doubt, paraphrase rather than reuse the slang form.
“Unless its a Monarch in which case we're naming as much infrastructure as possible after them I will be in the ground before I call it the Elizabeth Line and I'm not keen on Victoria line either.”
— Bluesky· May 2026“🚨Juventus are working on a deal to sign Alisson Becker this summer. The player is keen on the move, but is not agitating for a move. Liverpool are calm about the situation. [Ben Jacobs]”
— Bluesky· May 2026“Finished Hyperion by Dan Simmons. Have to say… very disappointed with it to be honest. Not keen on the Canterbury Tales structure to the narrative. “The Terror” is a far better book.”
— Bluesky· May 2026“and I'm not all that keen on Grandad's toenails either ..”
— Bluesky· May 2026“I'm trying out Zed today, because fuck it, and there's a bug in the GDScript extension that I'm keen on fixing 👀”
— Bluesky· May 2026
Comments
For specific readers
Why is this section here?
Slang is read by different audiences for very different reasons. The For parents view re-explains the term in plain, non-judgemental language so a caregiver can understand what their child means without needing the surrounding subculture. The For English learners view focuses on register (when it's safe to use), formal alternatives, and common mistakes — what a textbook won't teach you.
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🇬🇧About British & Irish slang slang
UK and Irish slang — Cockney, Scouse, Geordie, Yorkshire, Glaswegian, Brummie, Welsh, West Country, plus Irish English. Centuries of regional dialects feeding into modern British and Irish street talk.
See all British & Irish slang slang on Slangora.
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Other words near "keen on" (K)
Browse all slang words starting with K.
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Semantically related
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(slang) to be extremely fond of.
- gone on62%
(chiefly, _, Ireland) infatuated with.
- kak on60%
(slang, UK, South Africa) To shit on; to disparage or harshly criticize.
- onkus59%
(New Zealand, slang, rare, obsolete) Good; acceptable; okay.
- kick on59%
(slang, Australia) To continue; to struggle on, especially to continue drinking or partying.