gutsy

\ ˈgət-sē

How to pronounce gutsy (audio)

\

gutsier; gutsiest

Definition of gutsy

1 : marked by courage, pluck, or determination a gutsy little fighter a gutsy decision

2a : expressing or characterized by basic physical senses or passions gutsy macho talk gutsy country blues

b : rough or plain in style : not bland or sophisticated a gutsy soup

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Examples of gutsy in a Sentence

That was a very gutsy decision. a gutsy coach willing to let her team improvise on the court

Recent Examples on the Web For every gutsy win over a top-tier squad like the Patriots comes an equally bad loss. — Adam Renuart, CNN, "NFL Sunday: Bears-Packers take on 200th game and more as teams face pressure of a playoff push," 15 Dec. 2019 The Boks weren’t as rampant in the second half, though, underlining the gutsy work by Canada after losing Larsen. — San Diego Union-Tribune, "South Africa demolishes Canada 66-7, all but into quarters," 8 Oct. 2019 The tense final inning also included a twisting, falling grab by third baseman Anthony Rendon on Cody Bellinger's pop fly in shallow left field, as well as a gutsy intentional walk by manager Dave Martinez that brought the winning run to bat. — Beth Harris, baltimoresun.com, "Nationals hold off Dodgers for 4-2 victory, even NLDS," 5 Oct. 2019 Buffalo, coming off a gutsy, knockdown, drag-out victory at Pittsburgh, don’t look like the same Bills who get intimidated — and then blown out — in Foxborough. — Barry Wilner, The Denver Post, "NFL HQ can relax: NFC East winner will have at least 8 wins," 16 Dec. 2019 The band went on hiatus, and returned with a series of guest singers, including Terence Trent D’Arby in a gutsy 1999 stadium performance. — New York Times, "The Internet Swallowed INXS. Can a Movie Rescue Its Legacy?," 8 Dec. 2019 In gutsy fashion, Schantz made substitutions for his top-two goal scorers, Solomon Asante in the 113th minute for Jason Johnson and Adam Jahn in the 118th minute for Ben Spencer. — Evaristo Montoya, azcentral, "Phoenix Rising FC hold on for quarterfinals win over Austin Bold FC on penalty kicks," 27 Oct. 2019 The pages are glossy, the chapters are short and the women inside are gutsy. — Washington Post, "Hillary Clinton is the one that got away. And won’t go away.," 6 Oct. 2019 After a gutsy road win, K.C. edges out New England for No. 1, while Philly and Chicago make big jumps back into the top 10. — Conor Orr, SI.com, "NFL Power Rankings Poll Week 5: Chiefs Take Over the Top, Eagles and Bears Climb," 1 Oct. 2019

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'gutsy.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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Last Updated

12 Jan 2020

Cite this Entry

“Gutsy.” The Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster Inc., https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/gutsy. Accessed 17 January 2020.

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