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Added 7 October 2026

feisty

/ˈfaɪsti/ adjective

adjective Definition from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA). Pronunciation from Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org. More about feisty at Wordnik → Where our words come from →

Tenacious, energetic, spunky.
spirited and feisty
Belligerent; prepared to stand and fight, especially in spite of relatively small stature or some other disadvantage.
small but feisty
Easily offended and ready to bicker.
a feisty attitude

Origin

First use appears c. 1875 in the US. From feist (“a 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.

From Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org (CC BY-SA)

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