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Synonyms

feisty

American  
[fahy-stee] / ˈfaɪ sti /

adjective

feistier, feistiest

  1. full of animation, energy, or courage; spirited; spunky; plucky.

    The champion is faced with a feisty challenger.

  2. ill-tempered; pugnacious.

  3. troublesome; difficult.

    feisty legal problems.
feisty British  
/ ˈfaɪstɪ /

adjective

  1. lively, resilient, and self-reliant

  2. frisky

  3. irritable

"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

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

  • feistily adverb
  • feistiness noun

Etymology

Origin of feisty

An Americanism dating back to 1895–1900; feist + -y 1

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.