zippy

American  

[zip-ee] / ˈzɪp i /

adjective

Informal.

zippier, zippiest

1. lively; peppy.

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zippy British  

/ ˈzɪpɪ /

adjective

1. informal full of energy; lively

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Etymology

Origin of zippy

First recorded in 1915–20; zip ¹ + -y ¹

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Explanation

Zippy can mean speedy, or bright and spirited. You may wake up in a zippy mood, full of energy, and jump in your zippy little car so you can get to school early. When an object is zippy, it moves fast or energetically, like the zippy robotic vacuum cleaner that regularly terrifies your cat. And when people are zippy, they're spirited, like a zippy dance troupe. Language can be zippy too — think of wisecracking dialog or clever wordplay. This informal adjective comes from zip, "the sound of something moving rapidly."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

zippy zippier zippiest

But when audiences girded their loins for the sequel—this one as lavishly supported by glossy publishers as its earlier version was disavowed—there was a single character whose zippy quippiness was most anticipated.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 6, 2026

Make that four leads, since director and co-writer Matt Johnson and his composer-best friend Jay McCarrol each play themselves twice, thanks to archival footage presented in this zippy mockumentary as evidence of time travel.

From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 13, 2026

The economy expanded at zippy 4.4% annual pace in the third quarter of 2025, an updated estimate showed, to keep the U.S. on track to score the fifth straight year of above-average growth.

From MarketWatch ● Jan. 22, 2026

HBM stands for high-bandwidth memory, a zippy, costly kind used for artificial intelligence.

From Barron's ● Jan. 2, 2026

It made several more zippy runs—one between my ankles—before I was able to steer it to the beach.

From "Flush" by Carl Hiaasen

Now carriers are turning to satellites to offer zippier speeds that compare to what customers can get on the ground.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 31, 2026

Up ahead, Mr. Taylor was piloting a smaller and zippier ATV.

From New York Times ● Mar. 18, 2023

And we do mean anything: soups, salads, grilled meats, dips and even casseroles as a zippier alternative to fried onions.

From Salon ● Mar. 16, 2023

On paper, it looks like the Corolla Cross should be zippier, but the Chevy’s turbocharged nature makes its power and torque more readily accessible at low rpm.

From Seattle Times ● Sep. 7, 2022

As a guide, Cuchna can be too earnest for my liking — Kirk Hamilton’s “Strong Songs” podcast is much more fun, much zippier — but Cuchna is astute and digs into lots of juicy stuff.

From Washington Post ● May 5, 2020

In 2K Games’ Lego 2K Drive, you can assemble a high-speed racer brick-by-brick, then compete against your friends to find out who’s got the zippiest monster on the track.

From Seattle Times ● May 12, 2023

This might be the zippiest roast chicken and potatoes recipe out there.

From New York Times ● Jun. 28, 2022

The Chevrolet Bolt, the all-electric coupe just introduced by General Motors, isn’t the first or the zippiest all-electric vehicle on the market.

From Slate ● Sep. 15, 2016

Here, a rundown of the zippiest models, including those coming out in the next few years.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 7, 2016

The movie…explodes into the year’s wittiest, zippiest adventure, with each knockout action sequence eclipsing the last and with echoes of ’60s James Bond films and Fantastic Four comic books.

From Time ● Nov. 5, 2014

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Related Words

• lively
• peppy
• speedy
• sprightly

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