as in aggression
an inclination to fight or quarrel
a panel of political pundits with a well-earned reputation for unfettered feistiness
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Recent Examples of feistiness
Thanks to the care from the hospital staff at Carne Foundation and her own feistiness, Sienna Bobbie Crocker now weighs seven pounds, 12 ½ ounces and last Monday, 43 days after her birthday, the family brought her home.
—
Dana O’Neil, CNN Money, 3 Apr. 2026
His feistiness didn’t require any time to reach its customary levels.
—Josh Yohe, New York Times, 19 Mar. 2026
Mangiapane’s feistiness is something the group can learn from, now that the 29-year-old is suddenly a veteran in the locker room.
—Kalen Lumpkins, Chicago Tribune, 14 Mar. 2026
Drescher brought greater visibility and idiosyncratic feistiness to SAG-AFTRA, but can that momentum be sustained?
—Katie Kilkenny, HollywoodReporter, 20 Aug. 2025
Simeone will have to find ways to replace De Paul’s feistiness in midfield, Lino’s strong wing play, and Correa’s tenacity off the bench.
—Vitas Carosella, Forbes.com, 12 Aug. 2025
Dana O’Neil, CNN Money, 3 Apr. 2026
His feistiness didn’t require any time to reach its customary levels.
—Josh Yohe, New York Times, 19 Mar. 2026
Mangiapane’s feistiness is something the group can learn from, now that the 29-year-old is suddenly a veteran in the locker room.
—Kalen Lumpkins, Chicago Tribune, 14 Mar. 2026
Drescher brought greater visibility and idiosyncratic feistiness to SAG-AFTRA, but can that momentum be sustained?
—Katie Kilkenny, HollywoodReporter, 20 Aug. 2025
Simeone will have to find ways to replace De Paul’s feistiness in midfield, Lino’s strong wing play, and Correa’s tenacity off the bench.
—Vitas Carosella, Forbes.com, 12 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for feistiness
Noun
-
The problem is, when your side lack intensity, aggression and cohesion, those traps are easy to spot and avoid.—
Carl Anka,
New York Times,
17 May 2026
-
Bass said Pratt’s videos encourage aggression.—
Britta Miller,
The Washington Examiner,
15 May 2026
Noun
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Bears display aggressiveness towards visitors Aggressive bears have been a concern in the park since April, with the animals chasing people and even biting them.—
Saman Shafiq,
USA Today,
13 May 2026
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The two have been engaging in a subtle war of online words with fans noting passive aggressiveness to the max.—
Madeleine Marr,
Miami Herald,
13 May 2026
Noun
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The battle wasn't really over, though, as Jamie was shot and killed in a final act of defiance from the British.—
Julia Moore,
PEOPLE,
15 May 2026
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Rather than performing as defiance against repression, Vahdat sees singing as an act of strength, resilience and self-protection.—
Andrew Gilbert,
Mercury News,
13 May 2026
Noun
-
The onset of hostilities was enough to persuade around a hundred and eighty Democrats to support the measure.—
Jason Zengerle,
New Yorker,
18 May 2026
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As swirling rumors and escalating fears mount of imminent US-Israeli strikes, there is a growing sense of inevitability among many Iranians about the resumption of hostilities.—
Matthew Chance,
CNN Money,
18 May 2026
Noun
-
Trump had won by fifty-three points there in 2016, and Greene’s paranoid pugnacity seemed like a good fit, if voters could stomach an outsider.—
Charles Bethea,
New Yorker,
5 Jan. 2026
-
That does not mean his pugnacity has dimmed.—
Matt Zoller Seitz,
Vulture,
12 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Feistiness.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/feistiness. Accessed 20 May. 2026.
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