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Synonyms

frisky

American  
[fris-kee] / ˈfrɪs ki /

adjective

friskier, friskiest

  1. lively; frolicsome; playful.

frisky British  
/ ˈfrɪskɪ /

adjective

  1. lively, high-spirited, or playful

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Word Forms

  • friskily adverb
  • friskiness noun
  • unfrisky adjective

Etymology

Origin of frisky

First recorded in 1515–25; frisk + -y 1

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.

High-end and low-end customers alike adored his frisky, unpredictable spirit — both on and off the runway.

From Salon • Mar. 27, 2026

In this account of life with a wild creature—a being by turns serene and frisky, trusting and standoffish—Ms. Dalton connects readers with the strangeness of the natural world.

From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 3, 2025

The S&P 500 is up a frisky 15% so far this year.

From Barron's • Oct. 10, 2025

Her son Ajit, just beginning to walk, was full of life: frisky, restless, and curious about the world.

From BBC • Jan. 26, 2025

Soon as you open it up and let him out he’s frisky, happy to be free, happy to get out.

From "Our America: Life and Death on the South Side of Chicago" by LeAlan Jones

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.