sonsy

[ son-see ]

/ ˈsɒn si /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR sonsy ON THESAURUS.COM

adjective, son·si·er, son·si·est. Scot. and North England, Irish English.

strong and healthy; robust.

agreeable; good-natured.

Nearby words

sons and lovers, sons of freedom, sons of liberty, sonship, sonsonate, sonsy, sontag, sonya, soo, soo canals, soochow

Also sauncy, son·sie.

Origin of sonsy

1525–35; sonse prosperity, good fortune (Middle English (Scots) < Scots Gaelic sonas, MIr sonus, derivative of sona prosperous, happy, Old Irish son) + -y1; cf. donsie

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

Examples from the Web for sonsy

Judging from her round, sonsy, rosy face, you never could have imagined her to have been mad.
Life in the Clearings versus the Bush|Susanna Moodie
He was as proud of the sonsy house as Gourlay himself, if for a different reason, and he used to boast of it to his comrades.
The House with the Green Shutters|George Douglas Brown
She wasna what people would ca' a pretty girl, for I hae seen her; but she had a sonsy face and intelligent een.
Wilson's Tales of the Borders and of Scotland|John Mackay Wilson
She listened to the talk of the men with a faint smile about her weary lips, her eyes upon the sonsy range.
The House with the Green Shutters|George Douglas Brown

Old Mr. Loutit and lame Jimmy Flett each secures a sonsy partner.
The New North|Agnes Deans Cameron

British Dictionary definitions for sonsy

sonsy

sonsie

/ (ˈsɒnsɪ) /

adjective -sier or -siest Scot, Irish and English dialect

plump; buxom; comely

cheerful; good-natured

lucky

Word Origin for sonsy

C16: from Gaelic sonas good fortune

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