frisky
Americanadjective
adjective
Other Word Forms
- friskily adverb
- friskiness noun
- unfrisky adjective
Etymology
Origin of frisky
Explanation
The adjective frisky means playful or lively. Your frisky puppy likes to play tug-of-war with your socks, whether they're on or off your feet. Frisky is from the Middle English word frisk, which in turn was based on the Old French word frisque. In all cases, the words mean lively and merry. Frisky is often used to describe animals, but the term is also sometimes used as a mild euphemism for being playfully affectionate.
Vocabulary lists containing frisky
Dog Vocabulary: A Canine Lexicon
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"The Landlady" by Roald Dahl
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Unit 1, Words to Know
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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.
High-end and low-end customers alike adored his frisky, unpredictable spirit — both on and off the runway.
From Salon • Mar. 27, 2026
Given the number of ballads she’d worked up, George asked Douglass and Littell to write a couple of new uptempo tunes; among the ones they came up with was the frisky “La Lune S’en Va.”
From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 20, 2026
In this account of life with a wild creature—a being by turns serene and frisky, trusting and standoffish—Ms. Dalton connects readers with the strangeness of the natural world.
From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 3, 2025
The S&P 500 is up a frisky 15% so far this year.
From Barron's • Oct. 10, 2025
Ever since getting repaired by the Amazons, the metal dogs had been frisky and full of energy - unlike their owner.
From "Blood of Olympus" by Rick Riordan
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.
