feisty

adjective

ˈfī-stē 

feistier; feistiest

1

chiefly Southern US and Midland US

a

: full of nervous energy : fidgety

b

: touchy, quarrelsome

c

: exuberantly frisky

2

: having or showing a lively aggressiveness : spunky

the movie's feisty heroine

feistiness noun

Did you know?

In some parts of the southern United States, the word feist (pronounced to rhyme with heist) has been used since the 18th century as a term for a small dog used in hunting more diminutive game animals (such as squirrels). The word comes from the much older, now obsolete word fisting (pronounced as “feisting” would be) meaning “breaking wind,” which was used scornfully in the 16th and 17th centuries to describe gassy pooches. Feisty developed in the late 19th century, its flatulent origin lost, but its small-dog association still visible with a squint: the term conveys the spunk and determination that one may associate with a dog that manages to make its presence known, through its bark or its bite—or perhaps even its indifference to olfactory decorum—despite its small size.

Synonyms of feisty

• aggressive
• militant
• hostile
• contentious

Examples of feisty in a Sentence

I was feisty, because people misinterpret what country music is, just like they think Southerners are a bunch of hicks. —Wynonna Judd, quoted in Rolling Stone, 8-22 July 1993

Humorist Cynthia Heimel never plays it safe, bless her feisty little heart. She's outrageous and hilarious, daring to say exactly what she and millions of other women really think … —Donna Seaman, Booklist, 15 May 1993

… Milwaukee was the last major industrial city to elect a Socialist mayor—Frank P. Zeidler, a feisty octogenarian who teaches today at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee … —Charles P. Pierce, Village Voice, 10 Mar. 1992

She never tired of hearing anecdotes from her childhood, and she particularly liked to hear how feisty she had been … —Lorene Cary, Black Ice, 1991

The novel features a feisty heroine.

Even her opponents admire her feisty spirit.

Recent Examples on the Web

The movie follows the life of feisty belle Scarlett O'Hara (Vivien Leigh), from growing up on a plantation to her love affairs, including with roguish Rhett Butler (Clark Gable). — Brian Truitt, USA Today, 1 July 2026

Though to the credit of the series and especially Dana’s feisty performance, Zorro makes some effort. — Daniel Fienberg, HollywoodReporter, 30 June 2026

Its empress was feisty, focused on making money and completely uninterested in the emperor. — Lavender Au, The Dial, 30 June 2026

On that sunny day in Palo Alto, Brazil won 1-0 against the feisty Americans, but not before losing a player to a red card shortly before halftime. — Gabriel Sama, Mercury News, 28 June 2026

Word History

Etymology

feist + -y entry 1

First Known Use

1896, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

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