spirited
Americanadjective
adjective
-
displaying animation, vigour, or liveliness
-
(in combination) characterized by mood, temper, or disposition as specified
high-spirited
public-spirited
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of spirited
Explanation
Someone who's spirited is lively or enthusiastic. It can be challenging to babysit a bunch of spirited four-year-olds, but it's also entertaining. You can also call a spirited person energetic, animated, or spunky. Spirited people are often determined, too, like a spirited activist for animal rights or a spirited defender of free school lunches. Long ago, this adjective was also used to mean "possessed by a spirit or ghost." Today's sense of spirited comes from the original meaning of the verb spirit, "to make more active."
Vocabulary lists containing spirited
This Week in Words: March 9 - 15, 2019
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The Red Pencil
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Put on a Bold Face: Synonyms for "Brave"
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
England's Red Roses returned to winning ways, but without entirely vanquishing doubts over their position at the top of the women's game, as they saw off a spirited United States in New Jersey.
From BBC ● Oct. 30, 2026
I told him I was planning to be more like my spirited grandmother, who had never apologized for her age and lived to be 94.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 23, 2026
Alice, meanwhile, spirited her grandchildren out of France at the start of the occupation in a fearless escape by boat to England.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 23, 2026
Despite his efforts, his team were beaten as the spirited Sri Lankans pulled off the second-highest run-chase in history in one of the most astonishing ODIs ever played.
From BBC ● Oct. 22, 2026
Men chase women down corridors, and laughter and spirited chaos ensue.
From "The Belles" by Dhonielle Clayton
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Get a wordDefinitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
