spirited

adjective

spir·​it·​ed ˈspir-ə-təd 

: full of energy, animation, or courage

a spirited discussion

spiritedly adverb

spiritedness noun

Did you know?

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".

Synonyms

• fiery
• passionate
• spunky
• brisk
• fervent
• high-spirited

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

From a dog's busy napping schedule while the owner is at work to a cat and canine's vastly different reactions to meeting and all the best canine costumes at the Halloween parade, it's been a spirited week in the pet world. —Liz O'Connell, MSNBC Newsweek, 25 Oct. 2025

Mindful of bad-spirited lakes, even though the soil near the lake is rich and fertile, the most long-standing ethnic groups in the area have always built their houses on high ground well away from Lake Nyos. —Literary Hub, 22 Oct. 2025

Greg Gutfeld is a mean-spirited little man. —Michael Deeds, Idaho Statesman, 21 Oct. 2025

Sacramento State is 4-3 and winner of four of its last five games behind a prolific offense and spirited first-year head coach Brennan Marion. —Joe Davidson, Sacbee.com, 21 Oct. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1601, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing spirited

• high-spirited
• low-spirited
• mean-spirited
• poor-spirited
• public-spirited

Rhymes for spirited

• dispirited

Kids Definition

spirited

adjective

spir·​it·​ed ˈspir-ət-əd 

: full of courage or energy

a spirited discussion

spiritedly adverb