gutsy
Americanadjective
-
gutsier,
comparative
-
gutsiest
superlative
-
having a great deal of courage or nerve.
a gutsy lampooner of the administration.
-
robust, vigorous, or earthy; lusty.
gutsy writing; a gutsy red wine.
adjective
-
gluttonous; greedy
-
full of courage, determination, or boldness
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Adjectives
Etymology
Origin of gutsy
1890–95; guts ( def. ) (in the sense “fortitude”) + -y 1; cf. -sy
Explanation
If someone's gutsy, they're bold and spirited. The gutsy pilot Amelia Earhart defied cultural expectations and braved dangerous situations to set many records in aviation. Beyond their courage and bravery, a gutsy person also has grit and determination, often facing several challenges at once. A gutsy athlete plays through pain, and a gutsy activist confronts challenges head-on and keeps working for the cause she believes in. Around 1800, gutsy meant "greedy," but by the end of the 19th century it came to be defined as "brave and plucky," from the figurative "spirits or courage" sense of guts.
Vocabulary lists containing gutsy
Matilda
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
Put on a Bold Face: Synonyms for "Brave"
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
The Schwa Was Here
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
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:
New Zealand declared their second innings on 288-9 after Daryl Mitchell completed a gutsy century, leaving the Black Caps on the verge of a series win.
From BBC ● Jun. 28, 2026
Novak Djokovic was beaten by gutsy qualifier Dino Prizmic on his return to action in the Italian Open second round.
From BBC ● May 8, 2026
Because LeBron James looked superhuman since playing those 45 minutes, including all five gutsy minutes of ovetime.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 30, 2026
Intent on ensuring that China leapfrogs the U.S. as the world’s pre-eminent power, Xi Jinping recently made the gutsy and perhaps counterintuitive decision to invest massively in an arena of American strength—basic research.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 23, 2026
For if a person could crack under heat or cold, a combination of the two seemed guaranteed to do in even the gutsy Galadriel.
From "The Great Gilly Hopkins" by Katherine Paterson
But it was in “Pearl,” a cleverly deranged prequel set six decades earlier, that Goth delivered the bolder, gutsier performance.
From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 4, 2022
But this was one of the gutsier efforts by a Seattle defensive line in years led by newcomers Uchenna Nwosu and Shelby Harris, who each seemed to come up with one big play after another.
From Seattle Times ● Sep. 12, 2022
Kapler called it "one of the gutsier performances of the year from anybody in our pen."
From Fox News ● Sep. 23, 2021
And it might have been even gutsier than Saban’s masterstroke last year.
From New York Times ● Jan. 8, 2019
To wish they were better, gutsier, more harmonious feminists is a needless distraction: far better to wish them part of a bigger choir.
From The Guardian ● Jan. 21, 2017
For the team’s oldest player, it was among the gutsiest seasons in franchise history.
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 11, 2025
“I did have a front-row seat to one of the gutsiest, toughest performances of a quarterback playing in a season that I have ever seen,” Keenum said.
From Seattle Times ● Jan. 5, 2022
All they needed to know was that Morton did one of the gutsiest things they have ever seen.
From Washington Post ● Oct. 26, 2021
In his first victory, in 2010, Mr. Bream’s 1989 BMW 3-Series beat 100 other cars at Buttonwillow Raceway in Bakersfield, where Southern California’s gutsiest speed-shop mechanics compete.
From New York Times ● Sep. 3, 2020
“That’s one of the gutsiest things that I’ve seen, when he was embracing the booing, and that type of stuff. That took a lot of cojones, as they say,” seven-time Grand Slam champion McEnroe said.
From Reuters ● Jan. 16, 2020
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.
