spirited
Americanadjective
adjective
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displaying animation, vigour, or liveliness
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(in combination) characterized by mood, temper, or disposition as specified
high-spirited
public-spirited
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Etymology
Origin of spirited
Explanation
Someone who's spirited is lively or enthusiastic. It can be challenging to babysit a bunch of spirited four-year-olds, but it's also entertaining. You can also call a spirited person energetic, animated, or spunky. Spirited people are often determined, too, like a spirited activist for animal rights or a spirited defender of free school lunches. Long ago, this adjective was also used to mean "possessed by a spirit or ghost." Today's sense of spirited comes from the original meaning of the verb spirit, "to make more active."
Vocabulary lists containing spirited
This Week in Words: March 9 - 15, 2019
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The Red Pencil
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Put on a Bold Face: Synonyms for "Brave"
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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.
Travelers will find world-famous barbecue, a thriving arts scene and spirited sports bars to watch the games.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 4, 2026
At the top of a design from the 1430s for the tower of the Imperial Cathedral in Frankfurt, drawn in a spirited freehand, is a group of unusually cheerful gargoyles.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 27, 2026
Rodriguez took power in January when her former boss, Nicolas Maduro, was captured by US forces and spirited to the United States to face trial.
From Barron's • Mar. 12, 2026
A spirited critique on his Twitch stream of this year’s ball change at Indian Wells recently went viral.
From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 9, 2026
He made a gallant show of it, riding a spirited red courser whose mane was the same copper color as the long hair that streamed past Ser Addam's shoulders.
From "A Clash of Kings" by George R.R. Martin
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.
