spirited

American  

[spir-i-tid] / ˈspɪr ɪ tɪd /

adjective

1. having or showing mettle, courage, vigor, liveliness, etc..

   a spirited defense of poetry.

   Synonyms:

   mettlesome, courageous, vigorous, lively, energetic, active, ardent, vivacious, animated

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spirited British  

/ ˈspɪrɪtɪd /

adjective

1. displaying animation, vigour, or liveliness

2. (in combination) characterized by mood, temper, or disposition as specified

   high-spirited

   public-spirited

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Other Word Forms

• nonspirited adjective
• nonspiritedly adverb
• nonspiritedness noun
• quasi-spirited adjective
• quasi-spiritedly adverb
• spiritedly adverb
• spiritedness noun
• unspirited adjective
• unspiritedly adverb

Etymology

Origin of spirited

First recorded in 1590–1600; spirit + -ed ³

Example Sentences

And the closing “Sonora” is a spirited epic with a gliding beat and a modal jam that sounds like the instrumental coda from the Who’s “Baba O’Riley” played by an early iteration of Kraftwerk.

From The Wall Street Journal

The good news for West Ham, though, is that if Spurs are able to build on Sunday's spirited draw and fire themselves up the table, there are still several other teams within catching distance.

From BBC

For all the arguments against his central conceit, Mr. Dalrymple has written a spirited and valuable book.

From The Wall Street Journal

News organizations want more voices and views—fine, good for them, more spirited opinion, good.

From The Wall Street Journal

Fern, whose pen name wouldn’t be widely familiar until 1851, was a bright and spirited girl whose time at a religious school failed to subdue her.

From The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• animated
• bold
• bright
• courageous
• energetic
• enthusiastic
• fearless
• fiery
• gutsy
• passionate
• peppy
• resolute
• spunky
• vigorous