adjective
feist′i·er, feist′i·est full of spirit; specif.,
- quarrelsome, aggressive, belligerent, etc.
- lively, energetic, assertive, etc.
Origin of feisty
feist + -y
adjective
The definition of feisty is someone aggressive or lively.
An example of feisty is someone who likes to pick fights with their friends just for fun.
YourDictionary definition and usage example. Copyright © 2018 by LoveToKnow Corp
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"feisty." YourDictionary, n.d. Web. 15 January 2019. <https://www.yourdictionary.com/Feisty>.
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feisty. (n.d.). Retrieved January 15th, 2019, from https://www.yourdictionary.com/Feisty
feisty
Webster's New World College Dictionary, Fifth Edition Copyright © 2014 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
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"feisty." YourDictionary, n.d. Web. 15 January 2019. <https://www.yourdictionary.com/Feisty>.
APA Style
feisty. (n.d.). Retrieved January 15th, 2019, from https://www.yourdictionary.com/Feisty
feisty
adjective
feist·i·er, feist·i·est- Full of spirit or determination; plucky or spunky: “Feisty, smart, and courageous child protagonists … populate [her] fictional world” ( Carolyn L. Shute ) andiron
- Quarrelsome or aggressive: “A bunch of guys got tipsy … One of them got feisty and starting swinging punches at the others” ( Didi Emmons )
Origin of feisty
From feistRelated Forms:
- feist′i·ness
noun
THE AMERICAN HERITAGE® DICTIONARY OF THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE, FIFTH EDITION by the Editors of the American Heritage Dictionaries. Copyright © 2016, 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
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MLA Style
"feisty." YourDictionary, n.d. Web. 15 January 2019. <https://www.yourdictionary.com/Feisty>.
APA Style
feisty. (n.d.). Retrieved January 15th, 2019, from https://www.yourdictionary.com/Feisty
Adjective
(comparative feistier or more feisty, superlative feistiest or most feisty)
- Tenacious, energetic, spunky.
- Belligerent; prepared to stand and fight, especially in spite of relatively small stature or some other disadvantage.
- Easily offended and ready to bicker.
Origin
1896, American, feist (“small, aggressive dog”) + -y; the term feist (now rare) itself originally meant “stink”, and earlier “fart”, from Middle English, from Old English, from Proto-Germanic, presumably from Proto-Indo-European – see feist for details.
English Wiktionary. Available under CC-BY-SA license.
Link to this page
Cite this page
MLA Style
"feisty." YourDictionary, n.d. Web. 15 January 2019. <https://www.yourdictionary.com/Feisty>.
APA Style
feisty. (n.d.). Retrieved January 15th, 2019, from https://www.yourdictionary.com/Feisty
Sentence Examples
- I am the proud mom of a feisty two year old little girl, and I balance my time between her and my private practice in Westchester County, NY.
- Eva Longoria Parker's life in the spotlight began when she was crowned as a real-life beauty queen, but now the sexy actress has really hit her stride playing feisty Gabrielle Solis on Desperate Housewives.
- Apparently, when the feisty Greyhound found himself getting "restless" with home life, he ran to the racetrack to hook up with his "girlfriend", whose name was She's the Fastest.
- Some researchers prefer the terms flexible, active or feisty, and cautious instead of the somewhat judgmental terms of easy, difficult, and slow-to-adapt, respectively.
- This fear is one reason why some researchers prefer to describe children in this category as "active" or "feisty" rather than to use the negative term difficult.
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