spirited
adjective
spir·it·ed
ˈspir-ə-təd 
: full of energy, animation, or courage
a spirited discussion
spiritedly
adverb
spiritedness
noun
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You may see spirited used to describe a conversation, a debate, a horse, or a campaign. And it often shows up in such words as high-spirited ("bold and energetic"), mean-spirited ("spiteful"), and public-spirited ("generous to a community"), all of which reflect the original meaning of spirit, a notion much like "soul" or "personality".
Examples of spirited in a Sentence
The team put up a spirited defense.
She's a very spirited young lady.
Recent Examples on the Web
Meet Mala, a spirited dog who lives life to the fullest and loves hard.
—
Trish Stinger, Kansas City Star, 18 June 2025
Mexico will be happy to take all three points to open its Concacaf Gold Cup title defense, with the Dominican Republic providing a spirited challenge in its first-ever Gold Cup match.
—Jon Arnold, New York Times, 15 June 2025
The oldest celebrity on this week’s arts pick list, however, has to be Victoria Woodhull, the spirited feminist, spiritualist and advocate of free love who died 98 years ago at the age of 88.
—Christopher Arnott, Hartford Courant, 14 June 2025
Their growing appeal has even prompted many bars and restaurants to create dedicated alcohol-free drink menus and have bartenders and mixologists trained to craft zero-proof options with the same creativity and care as their spirited counterparts.
—Daryl Austin, USA Today, 11 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for spirited
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Trish Stinger, Kansas City Star, 18 June 2025
Mexico will be happy to take all three points to open its Concacaf Gold Cup title defense, with the Dominican Republic providing a spirited challenge in its first-ever Gold Cup match.
—Jon Arnold, New York Times, 15 June 2025
The oldest celebrity on this week’s arts pick list, however, has to be Victoria Woodhull, the spirited feminist, spiritualist and advocate of free love who died 98 years ago at the age of 88.
—Christopher Arnott, Hartford Courant, 14 June 2025
Their growing appeal has even prompted many bars and restaurants to create dedicated alcohol-free drink menus and have bartenders and mixologists trained to craft zero-proof options with the same creativity and care as their spirited counterparts.
—Daryl Austin, USA Today, 11 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for spirited
Cite this Entry
“Spirited.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/spirited. Accessed 4 Jul. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
spirited
adjective
spir·it·ed
ˈspir-ət-əd
: full of courage or energy
a spirited discussion
spiritedly
adverb
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