definitions

feisty

[ fahy-stee ]
/ ˈfaɪ sti /
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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.

RELATED WORDS

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

Nearby words

feirie, feisal, feisal i, feisal ii, feist, feisty, felafel, feldene, feldenkrais method, feldsher, feldspar

Origin of feisty

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

Related forms

feist·i·ly, adverbfeist·i·ness, noun
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples 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