zesty
Americanadjective
-
full of zest; piquant.
a zesty salad dressing.
-
energetic; active.
zesty trading in growth stocks.
Etymology
Origin of zesty
Explanation
Something that's zesty is fun and exciting. The zesty crowd that attends your party is lively, enthusiastic, and maybe even a little bit loud. People and parties can both be described as zesty, but you can also talk specifically about food that tastes zesty. When you eat a zesty lunch, it's highly flavored or even spicy. If you give her the extra hot salsa, your mom might say, "Ooh, these enchiladas are zesty!" The adjective comes from zest, the word for the outer part of an orange or lemon peel, which is often added to recipes for extra flavor.
Vocabulary lists containing zesty
Tasteful Terms: Flavorful Words
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Words to Describe Food
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Florida's B.E.S.T. Common Suffixes: -y
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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:
Amid the rise in interest in protein-forward, fiber-heavy dishes, La Boîte recently released a new product, Tadka, a zesty, Indian-inspired blend of mustard and fennel.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 16, 2026
It all sets up for what is suddenly a zesty Game 4 on Wednesday.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 9, 2026
Even the brighter dishes — the lemony pasta, the zesty black bean salad — are about steadiness as much as sparkle: reliable, make-ahead, happy to wait for you.
From Salon ● Dec. 18, 2025
The record of the year category for the 2025 Grammys is full of zesty pop hits from young female acts such as Chappell Roan, Charli XCX and Sabrina Carpenter.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 24, 2025
He makes me the most zesty yet subtle macaroni and cheese I’ve ever had.
From "Life of Pi" by Yann Martel
With the dawn of Prohibition across the pond, ginger ale eventually eclipsed its zestier cousin.
From Salon ● Dec. 23, 2021
If you like the dried oregano and other spices common to jarred pizza sauce, add it to the crushed tomatoes for a zestier sauce.
From Washington Times ● Feb. 16, 2021
The sequence felt emblematic of Washington’s zestier approach this season.
From Washington Post ● Jul. 18, 2016
She is zestier than an unwaxed citrus fruit and has a get-on-and-do-it attitude that makes her hilariously formidable company.
From The Guardian ● Jul. 19, 2014
Simply put, Alentejan food is zestier than most Portuguese fare, with a bolder use of herbs like coriander in a surprising array of dishes.
From New York Times ● Jun. 24, 2011
The work of the sculptor Rachel Harrison is both the zestiest and the least digestible in contemporary art.
From The New Yorker ● Dec. 15, 2014
For admirers of Chase’s achievement in turning The Sopranos into one of the zestiest, most impressive TV epics, is likely to be a big disappointment.
From Time ● Oct. 5, 2012
Of all Shakespeare’s plays, “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” has the zestiest dance sensibility, with its fairy roundels from English folklore and the jaunty, singing rhythm of its poetry.
From Washington Post
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.
