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
Covino’s facility with his ensemble is to draw out their inherent screen qualities, from Marvin’s ebullience, to Arjona’s energetic feistiness, to Johnson’s unflappable cool.
—
Katie Walsh, Chicago Tribune, 22 Aug. 2025
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
Katie Walsh, Chicago Tribune, 22 Aug. 2025
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
-
On Friday, the EU’s chief diplomat, Kaja Kallas, urged European leaders to stand up to Russian aggression.—
Azhar Sukri,
CNBC,
14 Feb. 2026
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The second half was a much different story as Punch maintained his confidence and aggression.—
Steven Johnson,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
14 Feb. 2026
Noun
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Hamlin’s success has been built on aggressiveness, composure and a sixth sense at high speeds.—
Edgar Thompson,
The Orlando Sentinel,
14 Feb. 2026
-
Way, meanwhile, enjoys watching Katie’s aggressiveness.—
Jeff Vorva,
Chicago Tribune,
11 Feb. 2026
Noun
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In contemporary terms, joy is a psychological and neurobiological act of defiance.—
Rabbi Bruce D. Forman,
Sun Sentinel,
17 Feb. 2026
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The American founding was, at its core, an act of defiance against unchecked power.—
Agustina Vergara Cid,
Oc Register,
15 Feb. 2026
Noun
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Their teenage daughter Josie meets Laura with hostility, while her son Felix remains distant.—
Ellise Shafer,
Variety,
16 Feb. 2026
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Less inviting and contemplative than aggressive and giddy, its priority isn’t to ask the audience to step outside their own perspective and examine how their behavior may contribute to similar hostilities.—
Ben Travers,
IndieWire,
13 Feb. 2026
Noun
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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
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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 19 Feb. 2026.
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