Merriam-Webster Logo
SINCE 1828
Menu
×

An Encyclopædia Britannica Company

See What's Trending Now See More Trending Words

larky

play
adjective \ˈlär-kē\

Definition of larky

larkier

;

larkiest

  1. 1 :  given to or ready for larking :  sportive

  2. 2 :  resulting from a lark

larkiness

play \ˈlär-kē-nəs\ noun

Explore Merriam-Webster

alt-599ca1388698f
Drawing a Conclusion About "Sketchy"
video-title-words-of-the-year-1066
Words of the Year: 1066
time-traveler-quiz-which-word-came-first
Time Traveler Quiz: Which Word Came First?
a-woman-waits-at-the-end-of-a-gloomy-pier-does-she-wait-for-charon-the-ferryman-to-the-underworld-it-is-dark-but-she-carries-a-parasol
Vocabulary Thrives in Darkness

Examples of larky in a Sentence

  1. a larky group of youths enjoying a night out on the town

First Known Use of larky

1841

larky Synonyms

Synonyms
antic, coltish, elfish, fay, frisky, frolicsome, playful, rollicking, sportful, sportive
Antonyms
earnest, serious-minded, sober, sobersided
Related Words
coy, kittenish; gay, happy, lighthearted, whimsical; energetic, frolic, jocund, lively, merry, spirited, sprightly, spunky, vivacious; devilish, impish, knavish, mischievous, pixie (also pixy), rascally, roguish; amusing, diverting, enjoyable, entertaining, fun, pleasurable; dabbling, frivolous, goofy, silly, trifling; delightful, pleasant, pleasing; jesting, jocose, jocular, joking, prankish, teasing
Near Antonyms
dutiful, responsible; grave, grim, serious, solemn, somber (or sombre), stern, stolid; no-nonsense, priggish, starchy, stuffy; decorous, formal, proper, sedate, staid; guarded, inhibited, restrained

Learn More about larky

  1. See words that rhyme with larky Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for larky

Seen and Heard

What made you want to look up larky? Please tell us where you read or heard it (including the quote, if possible).

show hide

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

WORD OF THE DAY

opine

play

to state as an opinion

Get Word of the Day daily email!

TRENDING NOW

  1. acrostic "The initial letters form a word"

  2. Svengali 'A person who manipulates'

  3. syzygy An obscure astronomy term goes mainstream

  4. hegemon "Something having dominant influence over others"

  5. repugnant Trump clarifies his position on racism

SEE ALL

BROWSE DICTIONARY

larky

Test Your Vocabulary

Time Traveler Quiz: Which Word Came First?

  • time-traveler-quiz-which-word-came-first
  • Which came first?
Name That Thing

Test your visual vocabulary with our 10-question challenge!

TAKE THE QUIZ
SCRABBLE® Sprint

Test Your Knowledge - and learn some interesting things along the way.

TAKE THE QUIZ

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Words at Play

alt-599ca1388698f
Drawing a Conclusion About "Sketchy"

How did "sketchy" come to describe creeps?

2-pairs-of-scissors
What's the Singular of 'Scissors'?

A tricky, double-edged word origin.

a-woman-waits-at-the-end-of-a-gloomy-pier-does-she-wait-for-charon-the-ferryman-to-the-underworld-it-is-dark-but-she-carries-a-parasol
Great Words for Twilight and Darkness

Words for the goth in all of us

bunch-of-yellow-balloons-lit-by-the-sun
Helium: This Word Brought to You by a Solar Eclipse

And by the Sun, with some help from Greek.

Ask the Editors

video-title-words-of-the-year-1066
Words of the Year: 1066

Or, Why Pig Meat is Called 'Pork' and Cow Meat is Called 'Beef'

payday
How Often Is 'Biweekly'?

Don't get us started on 'bimonthly'

video-irregardless-grammar-peeve-blend-of-the-synonyms-irrespective-and-regardless
Irregardless

It is in fact a real word (but that doesn't mean you should use it).

video-moose-goose-weird-plurals
Weird Plurals

One goose, two geese. One moose, two... moose. What's up with that?

Word Games

time-traveler-quiz-which-word-came-first
Time Traveler Quiz: Which Word Came First?

Which word entered the English language first?

Take the quiz
name-more-food
Name More Food!

Test your knowledge of food vocabulary!

Take the quiz
Name That Thing
Name That Thing

Test your visual vocabulary with our 10-question challenge!

Take the quiz
SCRABBLE® Sprint
SCRABBLE® Sprint

SCRABBLE® fans, sharpen your skills!

Play the game
Examples: larky in a Sentence