spunky
Americanadjective
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of spunky
Explanation
A spunky person is someone who's high spirited and brave. The hero of a fairy tale is often described as spunky. It takes a spunky traveler to cheerfully find her way across a busy city without a map, and a spunky kindergartner might march bravely into school on the first day. Someone who's spunky isn't just courageous — there's an implied pep or eagerness to the word as well. The word spunky comes from the 1530's Scottish meaning of spunk, "a spark," which is rooted in the Gaelic word spong, "tinder, pith, or sponge."
Vocabulary lists containing spunky
English Words Derived from Gaelic
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
"Rogue Wave" by Theodore Taylor
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
Beverly Cleary Turns 100!
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
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:
Milly Alcock is spunky and charismatic as Superman’s party-girl cousin.
From Slate ● Jun. 25, 2026
In other travel news this week, there were obits galore for spunky Spirit Airlines after it went out of business early Saturday.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 8, 2026
"We will always feel blessed to have had this beautiful spunky ray of light in our lives. She will live on in our hearts forever!"
From BBC ● Jul. 5, 2025
In the photo, Halsey adorns a spunky pixie haircut and overplucked skinny eyebrows to pay homage to O'Riordan's cherry red short hairdo and overall '00s punk rock aesthetic.
From Salon ● Oct. 15, 2024
The idea of a concert career for me appealed to his vision of himself as a poet and of me as more than a spunky tomboy.
From "When I Was Puerto Rican" by Esmeralda Santiago
Of the two children, Juli is the spunkier.
From New York Times ● Aug. 26, 2010
The tension becomes whether pride and experience are enough to hold off a younger, spunkier opponent giddy with its chance to play giant killer.
From New York Times ● Apr. 28, 2010
Rumania, however, was spunkier, came back with this devastatingly frank statement: "We do not know how anyone can feel secure in Europe at the present time."
From Time Magazine Archive
The eldest daughter becomes Charlie's spinster slave, while a spunkier daughter, Helen, marries a pompous doctor just to escape from the house.
From Time Magazine Archive
Argentina’s spunkiest duo Ca7riel & Paco Amoroso have checked themselves into a wellness center for their latest album, “Free Spirits.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 19, 2026
At least such circumstances gave us one of Rodrigo’s spunkiest, funniest and most irresistible singles yet.
From New York Times ● Dec. 6, 2023
Let’s pause a moment to give thanks that after a long summer, spring and most of a winter, the spunkiest, most outlandish, best-cast drama on television is back.
From New York Times ● Sep. 22, 2014
It is a witty, civilized account of an age of revolution in the dance, by one of the spunkiest of the revolutionaries.
From Time Magazine Archive
You are the spunkiest fellow with a boat I ever saw.
From Little By Little or, The Cruise of the Flyaway by Optic, Oliver
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.
