gutsy

adjective

ˈgət-sē How to pronounce gutsy (audio)
Definition of gutsynext
1
as in adventurous
inclined or willing to take risks a gutsy coach willing to let her team improvise on the court

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in courageous
feeling or displaying no fear by temperament they were gutsy enough to attempt a rescue on their own

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of gutsy One of the most memorable moments of the 2026 Winter Olympics came early, when skier Lindsey Vonn delivered a gutsy performance for the ages by competing at 41 just a week after injuring her knee in a crash. — Matt Reigle, FOXNews.com, 17 July 2026 From anecdotes about living on location in the Nevada desert to shopping it around to distributors on videotape, their accounts illuminate the film’s winding path from a gutsy grassroots project to a Sundance hit that changed how lesbian love stories were shown on the big screen. — Elaina Patton, IndieWire, 16 June 2026 Henke stranded seven runners in scoring position across six innings of a gutsy start, and Josh Silber (2-for-3) kickstarted the five-run sixth with a leadoff double after the Warriors (12-11) plated two to erase a 3-1 deficit. — Tom Mulherin, Boston Herald, 2 June 2026 The bulk of the album finds power in gutsy sound design, a blend of PVC and quartz. — H.d. Angel, Pitchfork, 2 June 2026 See All Example Sentences for gutsy
Recent Examples of Synonyms for gutsy
  1. adventurous
  2. courageous
  3. daring
  4. brave
  5. fearless
  6. valiant
  7. bold
  8. heroic
Adjective
  • Chris Strouthopoulos is the founder of Ascent Empowerment, which helps adventurous men beat professional burnout.
    — Chris Strouthopoulos, Forbes.com, 10 Aug. 2026
  • Lenae welcomes an adventurous curiosity without being too hard on herself when her heart ends up on the chopping block.
    — Larisha Paul, Rolling Stone, 7 Aug. 2026
Definition of adventurous
Adjective
  • The sun in Leo is expressive, vivacious and deeply courageous.
    — Valerie Mesa, PEOPLE, 6 Aug. 2026
  • Only one, Andy Jassy, was courageous and smart enough to do it.
    — Jim Cramer, CNBC, 2 Aug. 2026
Definition of courageous
Adjective
  • There was plenty of action on Swiss National Day in Lausanne, with unfortunate crashes and a daring breakaway, but the top teams’ desire for that first leader’s jersey was always going to win out.
    — Jessica Hopkins, New York Times, 1 Aug. 2026
  • These tumultuous incidents are bound by a daring half-hour-long scene of the driver’s erotic overnight reunion with his hard-living girlfriend, who wants to adopt the child.
    — Rhoda Feng, New Yorker, 31 July 2026
Definition of daring
Adjective
  • But Mama’s imagination helps the time pass more quickly, and the duo become brave knights protecting from a dragon from a prince, or heroes capturing art thieves at a museum.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 3 Aug. 2026
  • The sight of the lone rider desperately trying to hold on as the crowd roars them towards the line is magical, despite such brave attempts rarely being successful.
    — Jessica Hopkins, New York Times, 2 Aug. 2026
Definition of brave
Adjective
  • And then there is a producer fearless enough to cross the minefield, knowing that on the far side waits a festival circuit slightly fatigued by war stories from Ukraine.
    — Sonya Vseliubska, IndieWire, 7 Aug. 2026
  • Since its 2006 inception, the bi-annual event—which just wrapped its Spring/Summer 2027 season this week—has earned a reputation not just for its roster of indie brands, but the fearless and personality-filled street style outside the shows.
    — Kelsey Stewart, InStyle, 7 Aug. 2026
Definition of fearless
Adjective
  • What would be the worst moment in a mere mortal’s career, Hoecht turned into a valiant scene.
    — Tim Graham, New York Times, 4 Aug. 2026
  • Despite Aldis's valiant comeback, including a superplex and a King's Lynn Cloverleaf that nearly secured the win, Gunther ultimately prevailed.
    — Alfred Konuwa, Forbes.com, 1 Aug. 2026
Definition of valiant
Adjective
  • One bold element makes an impact, but wouldn’t both be overwhelming?
    — Kelsey Mulvey, Vogue, 6 Aug. 2026
  • Five of the paintings have been newly cleaned, their brilliant palettes revealing a bold, experimental hand that deployed academic modeling and Impressionistic dissolution side by side.
    — Carmen Rosenberg-Miller, Artforum, 6 Aug. 2026
Definition of bold
Adjective
  • Ant-Man, the Wasp and their heroic family wind up in the Quantum Realm and new supervillain Kang the Conqueror (Jonathan Majors) needs the tiny Avenger's help to escape.
    — Brian Truitt, USA Today, 4 Aug. 2026
  • The rescue of the 5-year-old boy comes shortly after the heroic rescue of another child, this one by 16-year-old lifeguard Ryder Williams in Santa Cruz, California.
    — Kelly McGreal, FOXNews.com, 2 Aug. 2026
Definition of heroic

Browse Nearby Words

guts it out
gutsy
gutted
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Gutsy.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/gutsy. Accessed 13 Aug. 2026.

Copy Citation
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

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

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of salvo

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

7 Pairs of Commonly Confused Words

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

Words from the 'Odyssey'

The Longest Long Words List

It's a Scorcher! Words for the Summer Heat

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World

'Gaslighting,' 'Woke,' 'Democracy,' and Other Top Lookups
See More

Popular

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

Words from the 'Odyssey'

The Longest Long Words List
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
fridge-magnet-letters
Drop a Letter Quiz August 2026 Drop a letter from a word to make a totally diffe...
See All