sprightly
Americanadjective
adverb
adjective
adverb
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of sprightly
Explanation
To be sprightly is to be full of youthful, vibrant energy. You don’t have to be young to be sprightly, though, energetic old people can be sprightly, too. Weeeeeee! The word sprightly comes from the word sprite, which is a small, elf-like fairy creature. If someone acts like a happy little fairy, has a lot of enthusiasm, and acts in a youthful way, she’s sprightly. To be sprightly is to be full of spirit and vitality, to be happy, and to have a positive attitude. Someone who radiates energy and positivity is sprightly.
Vocabulary lists containing sprightly
Things Fall Apart
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Smiley Face: Synonyms for "Happy"
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Stargirl
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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.
See Examples For:
Taking a cue from nickelodeon piano players, composer John Powell steers the mood with a vibrantly eclectic score of sprightly ragtime, violin pathos and popcorn crescendos.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 1, 2026
Another of his horses was named in the Guinness Book of Records for the fastest 10-metre dash while on hind legs -- a sprightly 4.19 seconds.
From Barron's ● Jun. 5, 2026
The music is danceable, the editing is sprightly.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 2, 2026
This delightful production, directed with a sprightly touch by Robert Falls, who led the Goodman for 35 years, glitters with the incisive wit that was a hallmark of Mr. Greenberg’s writing.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 19, 2026
She is a sprightly, spidery woman, with a narrow nose and piercing hazel eyes as bright and sharp as a bird’s.
From "Orphan Train" by Christina Baker Kline
In all-wheel-drive form, the RDX is a bit sprightlier around corners than the GV70.
From Seattle Times ● Aug. 17, 2022
Though Grande’s subject matter shifts after “Shut Up,” the song’s Disney-like strings carry through the rest of “Positions,” which is brighter and sprightlier than the comparatively bleary “Thank U, Next.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 30, 2020
“I haven’t been home in a couple of weeks,” he says, sounding sprightlier than you might expect.
From The Guardian ● Jan. 5, 2020
We’ve moved from a static description to a sprightlier one and cut the word count almost in half.
From New York Times ● Aug. 2, 2017
Miss Whitlaw seemed to lose ten years and become sprightlier.
From "Dragonwings" by Laurence Yep
And the rhythmic and harmonic quirkiness of the two Contredanses made the sprightliest movements in the Bach, Handel and Muffat works sound staid.
From New York Times ● Oct. 17, 2011
Mary is Debbie Reynolds, giving one of her sprightliest performances as the wickedly witty, nearly divorced wife of Publisher Barry Nelson, who repeats his stage role in sharp, swinging style.
From Time Magazine Archive
While dramatic series have become drearier, commercials have developed into the sprightliest little plays on television.
From Time Magazine Archive
They appear on the labels of some of the most intrepid clothes around, and they belong to two of the sprightliest newcomers anywhere on the fashion map.
From Time Magazine Archive
Those who have read his prose writing must have noticed how gaily and airily it flows on like the sprightliest of conversation.
From My Reminiscences by Sasi Kumar Hesh
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.
