plucky
Americanadjective
adjective
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Etymology
Origin of plucky
Explanation
To be plucky is to show courage. Plucky people are often underdogs fighting against the odds, like a plucky kid who scares away a burglar or a plucky kitten who refuses to run away from a Great Dane. Pluck is courage or heart, so to be plucky is to have those qualities. This word describes brave people and actions, and it means about the same as feisty and spunky. It often applies to people who bravely struggle against powerful forces. A short person playing basketball is plucky. You can be plucky in fighting a terrible disease. Anyone who refuses to give up, no matter what, is plucky.
Vocabulary lists containing plucky
A Doll's House
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Dragonwings
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Lyddie
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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.
It also praised the "plucky" display by the US, "who people thought had come to Rome as whipping boys but in fact have gone off the pitch with a very respectable score".
From BBC • Jun. 6, 2026
A plucky wolf known as OR-7 traveled into California from Oregon.
From Los Angeles Times • May 16, 2026
A 16-year-old managed to fight off competition from hundreds of plucky competitors to win an annual race through a boggy riverbed.
From BBC • Apr. 26, 2026
Practically everywhere you look, there’s Meryl Streep’s fictional editrix-in-chief, Miranda Priestly, and Anne Hathaway’s plucky assistant-turned-editor, Andy Sachs, ready for their second big-screen outing few were asking for but everyone will watch.
From Salon • Apr. 20, 2026
The Slow Club is playing, a band I like, all plucky and bittersweet and kind of offbeat.
From "All The Bright Places" by Jennifer Niven
Definitions 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.
