feisty

[fahy-stee]

adjective

feistier, feistiest 

1. full of animation, energy, or courage; spirited; spunky; plucky.

   The champion is faced with a feisty challenger.

2. ill-tempered; pugnacious.

3. troublesome; difficult.

   feisty legal problems.

feisty

/ ˈfaɪstɪ /

adjective

1. lively, resilient, and self-reliant

2. frisky

3. irritable

Other Word Forms

• feistily adverb
• feistiness noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of feisty¹

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of feisty¹

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

Example Sentences

At 94, author and humorist Judith Viorst remains as feistily funny—and honest—as ever.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

As the dance’s “Odd Man Out,” John Harnage, impressive all season, embodied his choreography’s feisty resistance with avidity.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

"We were never scared to speak our mind and I think that feisty attitude steered us in the right direction," she laughs.

Read more on BBC

A third of it wants to be a feisty industry satire, but the rest believes there’s prestige value in tugging on the heartstrings.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

“I’m old, but I’m feisty. Those wolves don’t scare me.”

Read more on Literature

Related Words

• bubbly 
• courageous 
• excitable 
• fiery 
• gritty 
• gutsy 
• high-strung 
• lively 
• scrappy 
• spunky 

When To Use

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.