feisty
Americanadjective
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full of animation, energy, or courage; spirited; spunky; plucky.
The champion is faced with a feisty challenger.
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ill-tempered; pugnacious.
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troublesome; difficult.
feisty legal problems.
adjective
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lively, resilient, and self-reliant
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frisky
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irritable
Usage
What does feisty mean? Feisty is used to describe someone or something that is full of energy or courage. Someone who’s described as feisty usually has a strong will and is unafraid of showing it, even in difficult circumstances or when challenged. Feisty is also used to describe a person or animal that is ill-tempered: Jack gets feisty when he is tired. Sometimes feisty is used to describe someone or something that is troublesome: My computer gets feisty whenever the software updates. Feisty can be used as a compliment, praising someone’s courage, spiritedness, or pluckiness. Or it can be used somewhat critically, suggesting someone is prone to getting angry. Feisty depends on how someone thinks about the words and actions of the person or thing they think is feisty. Example: It took hours to catch the feisty puppy who easily outran all of us.
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of feisty
Explanation
Feisty is a word for someone who is touchy or quarrelsome. It can also mean "showing courage or determination." If you're huffy or thin-skinned, you're feisty. Feisty people often seem to be itching for a fight. On the other hand, this has a more positive meaning. It may also describe a courageous or spirited person, especially one who is smaller or an underdog. A small boxer knocking out a huge opponent is feisty. Little dogs barking at huge dogs are feisty in both senses: they're being brave, but they're also a little too quick to open their yaps.
Vocabulary lists containing feisty
Dear Martin
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Game Changer
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Warriors Don't Cry (Abridged)
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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.
Virtually unknown a year ago, Platner has barnstormed across Maine, delivering a feisty, anti-establishment message.
From Barron's • May 3, 2026
"We'll have to monitor those feisty cumulus clouds and potentially a few showers and breezes as well," Mark Burger, the launch weather officer, said Tuesday.
From Barron's • Apr. 1, 2026
In it, Tilly sings a self-celebratory, pro-AI anthem with the big-eyed feisty longing of an algorithm marked “Disney princess: Big song” while she wanders through increasingly fantastic self-affirming scenarios that scream “Plus ‘Barbie.’”
From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 11, 2026
I've always loved those kind of feisty guys that, if they played for anyone else, you'd hate them.
From BBC • Mar. 2, 2026
I poked the crabs with a pencil to see how feisty they were.
From "The Joy Luck Club" by Amy Tan
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.
