feisty

[ fahy-stee ]
See synonyms for feisty on Thesaurus.com
adjective,feist·i·er, feist·i·est.
  1. full of animation, energy, or courage; spirited; spunky; plucky: The champion is faced with a feisty challenger.

  2. ill-tempered; pugnacious.

  1. troublesome; difficult: feisty legal problems.

Origin of feisty

1
An Americanism dating back to 1895–1900; feist + -y1

Other words from feisty

  • feist·i·ly, adverb
  • feist·i·ness, noun

Words Nearby feisty

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How to use feisty in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for feisty

feisty

/ (ˈfaɪstɪ) /


adjectivefeistier or feistiest informal
  1. lively, resilient, and self-reliant

  2. US and Canadian frisky

  1. US and Canadian irritable

Origin of feisty

1
C19: from dialect feist, fist small dog; related to Old English fīsting breaking wind

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012