feisty

[ fahy-stee ]
/ ˈfaɪ sti /
SEE SYNONYMS FOR feisty ON THESAURUS.COM

adjective, feist·i·er, feist·i·est.

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.

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Origin of feisty

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

OTHER WORDS FROM feisty

feist·i·ly, adverbfeist·i·ness, noun

Words nearby feisty

Feira de Santana, feirie, Feisal I, Feisal II, feist, feisty, felafel, Feldene, Feldenkrais method, feldsher, feldspar
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

Words related to feisty

bubbly, gritty, scrappy, spunky, excitable, gutsy, high-strung, fiery, courageous, lively, active, alive, difficult, enthusiastic, frisky, game, mettlesome, ornery, peppy, quarrelsome

Example sentences from the Web for feisty

British Dictionary definitions for feisty

feisty
/ (ˈfaɪstɪ) /

adjective feistier or feistiest informal

lively, resilient, and self-reliant
US and Canadian frisky
US and Canadian irritable

Word Origin for feisty

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