high-spirited

adjective

ˈhī-ˈspir-ə-təd How to pronounce high-spirited (audio)
Definition of high-spiritednext
1
as in joyful
joyously unrestrained a high-spirited crowd loudly cheering the basketball team on

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in spirited
marked by a lively display of strong feeling the band struck up a high-spirited march as the President's motorcade approached

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for high-spirited
  1. joyful
  2. spirited
  3. exuberant
  4. fiery
  5. lively
  6. spunky
  7. vivacious
  8. passionate
Adjective
  • Life that doesn’t just accept its sentence, but embraces it in joyful reverence?
    — Gabi Abrão, Los Angeles Times, 16 Oct. 2026
  • Two of Kariem’s former students described him as joyful, patient and an inspiration.
    — Karina Tsui, CNN Money, 14 Oct. 2026
Definition of joyful
Adjective
  • Jacinta, meanwhile, brings the spirited, colorful energy of contemporary Mexican cooking with an array of tacos, tostadas, tamales, and traditional techniques.
    — Anna Cafolla, Vogue, 21 Oct. 2026
  • From this spirited competition emerged two progenitors of modern horror, science fiction, and fantasy.
    — Maria Papadouris, JSTOR Daily, 20 Oct. 2026
Definition of spirited
Adjective
  • That’s a possible silver lining if the AI bubble bursts—that the assets financed by irrationally exuberant investors end up reshaping the economy for the better.
    — Ming Lu, Fortune, 22 Oct. 2026
  • That obsession reached its peak of exuberant absurdity on a Friday in late July of 1995.
    — Adam Sztykiel, HollywoodReporter, 20 Oct. 2026
Definition of exuberant
Adjective
  • Hundreds of people in Toledo, Ohio, remain evacuated from their homes as officials work to resolve a fiery chemical leak that began Tuesday.
    — Lana Zak, CBS News, 22 Oct. 2026
  • Here was the humble trade unionist, born into extreme poverty, standing up as a fiery-eyed tribune of the workers.
    — Ishaan Tharoor, New Yorker, 21 Oct. 2026
Definition of fiery
Adjective
  • Fashion brands have been experimenting with livelier and more unconventional footwear designs in general lately, and that means interesting uses of color.
    — Jaden Thompson, Footwear News, 21 Oct. 2026
  • No changes to the dinos, but the lighting overall felt more lively and theatrical.
    — Todd Martens, Los Angeles Times, 20 Oct. 2026
Definition of lively
Adjective
  • Meanwhile, Susan was a spunky fan favorite on the inaugural Golden Bachelor season.
    — Dalton Ross, Entertainment Weekly, 2 Sep. 2026
  • The mop-haired actor plays Joey, a spunky boy onboard who bonds with Maddie over having absent parents in the military.
    — Patrick Ryan, USA Today, 18 Aug. 2026
Definition of spunky
Adjective
  • Tatyana and Jan’s salsa is full to the brim with salsa content, and yet the judges ding it for not being fast and vivacious enough, even though Jan’s choreography — some of my favorite of the night — was built around the song they were assigned.
    — Maggie Fremont, Vulture, 14 Oct. 2026
  • In a poetic blend of reality and imagination, a vivacious Brooklyn teenager strives to reclaim her own fleeting childhood while helping raise her four younger sisters.
    — Chris Gardner, HollywoodReporter, 29 Sep. 2026
Definition of vivacious
Adjective
  • The colors are dour and muted, and the yearnings of the two elder Dashwood sisters—the self-abnegating Elinor (Daisy Edgar-Jones) and the passionate Marianne (Esmé Creed-Miles, a gimlet-eyed standout)—often play out in drearily candlelit rooms.
    — Hannah Jocelyn, New Yorker, 23 Oct. 2026
  • The Bulgari staff is notably passionate about this garden and volunteers there on a regular basis.
    — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 22 Oct. 2026
Definition of passionate
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.

Browse Nearby Words

high-speed
high-spirited
high-spiritedly
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Cite this Entry

“High-spirited.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/high-spirited. Accessed 26 Oct. 2026.

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