feisty
Americanadjective
-
feistier,
comparative
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feistiest
superlative
-
full of animation, energy, or courage; spirited; spunky; plucky.
The champion is faced with a feisty challenger.
-
ill-tempered; pugnacious.
-
troublesome; difficult.
feisty legal problems.
adjective
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lively, resilient, and self-reliant
-
frisky
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irritable
Usage
What does feisty mean? Feisty is used to describe someone or something that is full of energy or courage. Someone who’s described as feisty usually has a strong will and is unafraid of showing it, even in difficult circumstances or when challenged. Feisty is also used to describe a person or animal that is ill-tempered: Jack gets feisty when he is tired. Sometimes feisty is used to describe someone or something that is troublesome: My computer gets feisty whenever the software updates. Feisty can be used as a compliment, praising someone’s courage, spiritedness, or pluckiness. Or it can be used somewhat critically, suggesting someone is prone to getting angry. Feisty depends on how someone thinks about the words and actions of the person or thing they think is feisty. Example: It took hours to catch the feisty puppy who easily outran all of us.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Adjectives
Etymology
Origin of feisty
Explanation
Feisty is a word for someone who is touchy or quarrelsome. It can also mean "showing courage or determination." If you're huffy or thin-skinned, you're feisty. Feisty people often seem to be itching for a fight. On the other hand, this has a more positive meaning. It may also describe a courageous or spirited person, especially one who is smaller or an underdog. A small boxer knocking out a huge opponent is feisty. Little dogs barking at huge dogs are feisty in both senses: they're being brave, but they're also a little too quick to open their yaps.
Vocabulary lists containing feisty
Dear Martin
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Game Changer
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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.
See Examples For:
What’s more, Mitchell’s film is feisty and unpredictable, always managing to stay one step ahead of the viewer.
From Salon ● Aug. 20, 2026
Over the years, Panettiere became beloved for her feisty performances in television shows such as “Heroes” and “Nashville,” which earned her two Golden Globe nominations for her turn as country singer Juliette Barnes.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 17, 2026
Broadcaster and former MP Gyles Brandreth, described his long-time friend who he had met at Oxford University in 1967 as "fun" and "feisty even then".
From BBC ● Jul. 11, 2026
The Padres deserve a ton of credit for breathing life into what now is a feisty rivalry with the Dodgers.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 26, 2026
“A badger? Yeesh. They can be feisty, fox. This might not be so easy.”
From "The Undead Fox of Deadwood Forest" by Aubrey Hartman
In Knight’s version of the story, Pip is a feistier character than the innocent of the novel.
From New York Times ● Mar. 24, 2023
When I want something a little feistier and more savory, to quickly layer onto a pizza or lasagna or eggplant parm — especially when I have no time at all — Heidi's is it.
From Salon ● Sep. 10, 2022
As this series has grown lopsided of late, some bad blood has built, and the game got progressively feistier.
From Washington Post ● Jan. 10, 2019
The measure was among several heated proposals pushed forward this year by the House of Representatives, the feistier, larger chamber.
From Seattle Times ● Mar. 8, 2018
The kid on the other tire looked feistier than her pal.
From "Fourth Grade Rats" by Jerry Spinelli
Like anyone who shares his surname as part of basketball’s feistiest family, Hurley is driven.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 6, 2024
Check out some enduring trends showcased by each of Miami’s feistiest citizens.
From The Guardian ● Apr. 16, 2020
Jamie Florio, 29, said doctors and nurses told her that although Connor was the smallest baby they’d ever seen, he was also the feistiest.
From Seattle Times ● Apr. 12, 2019
Miranda Lambert is one of the feistiest and most accomplished live performers in country music.
From New York Times ● Feb. 20, 2018
Brian Cox plays Jack, the oldest and feistiest of the five characters, and believes the production has become "a different show" since it was first staged last April.
From BBC ● Jan. 22, 2014
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.
