plucky

[pluhk-ee]

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adjective, pluck·i·er, pluck·i·est.

having or showing pluck or courage; brave: The drowning swimmer was rescued by a plucky schoolboy.

Origin of plucky

First recorded in 1820–30; pluck + -y¹

Related formspluck·i·ly, adverbpluck·i·ness, noun

Synonyms for plucky

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR plucky ON THESAURUS.COM

courageous, determined; cheerful; spunky, spirited.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Related Words for pluckiness

heart, nerve, gameness, adventurousness, dash, prowess, rashness, temerity, spunk, pugnacity, daring, endurance, guts, spirit, heroism, valor, fortitude, fearlessness, grit, power

Examples from the Web for pluckiness

Contemporary Examples of pluckiness

President Obama acknowledged the pluckiness of Bostonians when he spoke just hours after the attack.
The Boston Bombings: Resilience vs. Panic
Daniel Klaidman
April 16, 2013

Historical Examples of pluckiness

It was beautiful, the pluckiness of it, the impudence of it.
Following the Equator, Complete
Mark Twain (Samuel Clemens)
They were decidedly in the wrong, but one cannot but admire their pluckiness.
The Story of London
Henry B. Wheatley
It is no more than he ought to have done, for your pluckiness saved Flurry.
Esther
Rosa Nouchette Carey

British Dictionary definitions for pluckiness

plucky

adjective pluckier or pluckiest

having or showing courage in the face of difficulties, danger, etc

Derived Formspluckily, adverbpluckiness, noun

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

Word Origin and History for pluckiness

plucky

adj.

1831, from pluck (n.) + -y (2). Related: Pluckily; pluckiness.