plucky

[ pluhk-ee ]

adjective

, pluck·i·er, pluck·i·est.

1. having or showing pluck or courage; brave:

   The drowning swimmer was rescued by a plucky schoolboy.

   Synonyms: spirited, spunky, cheerful, determined, courageous

plucky

/ ˈplʌkɪ /

adjective

1. having or showing courage in the face of difficulties, danger, etc

Derived Forms

• ˈpluckily, adverb
• ˈpluckiness, noun

Other Words From

• plucki·ly adverb
• plucki·ness noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of plucky¹

First recorded in 1820–30; pluck + -y ¹

Example Sentences

Williams had met with Lawrence and Segel once over Zoom to talk about playing the plucky therapist.

From Los Angeles Times

His delicate chip to the par-five 16th was a shot of sheer class, having seen his plucky pursuer Rose smash a 300-yard driver off the deck on to the green.

From BBC

The daughter is trying to better herself and work to uplift her people, just like plucky little JD Vance, but her father would rather beat her than see her succeed.

From Salon

The moon-faced Manning, a Time magazine cover star in October 2000, was widely regarded as a plucky music fan sticking it to greedy labels and out-of-touch millionaires.

From Los Angeles Times

For the Storm, the plucky effort ended there.

From Seattle Times

Related Words

• courageous
• gutsy
• heroic
• spirited
• spunky
• valiant