as in brave
informal
having or showing a lot of courage or determination
A plucky young man who never gave up on his dream.
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Recent Examples of plucky
Bachata played faintly, with plucky notes from the guitar cutting through cows' grunts.
—
Eduardo Cuevas, USA Today, 27 Mar. 2026
Each of those films also features a plucky, diminutive hero who succeeds in the face of naysayers—an easy figure for any kid watching to root for.
—David Sims, The Atlantic, 26 Mar. 2026
While a double-digit seed in the Sweet 16 is nothing to scoff at, the Longhorns are hardly a plucky underdog given their track record as a program this century.
—Rohan Nadkarni, NBC news, 23 Mar. 2026
Serve this plucky spritz to a crowd of pals.
—Scott Hocker, TheWeek, 20 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for plucky
Eduardo Cuevas, USA Today, 27 Mar. 2026
Each of those films also features a plucky, diminutive hero who succeeds in the face of naysayers—an easy figure for any kid watching to root for.
—David Sims, The Atlantic, 26 Mar. 2026
While a double-digit seed in the Sweet 16 is nothing to scoff at, the Longhorns are hardly a plucky underdog given their track record as a program this century.
—Rohan Nadkarni, NBC news, 23 Mar. 2026
Serve this plucky spritz to a crowd of pals.
—Scott Hocker, TheWeek, 20 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for plucky
Recent Examples of Synonyms for plucky
Adjective
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The four brave astronauts onboard—Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover and Christina Koch of NASA and Jeremy Hansen of the Canadian Space Agency—completed their historic lunar flyby five days later.—
Lee Billings,
Scientific American,
9 Apr. 2026
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While your brave nature prefers fast outcomes, letting ideas mature in private should put you in a position to act with more confidence in a positive outcome.—
Tarot.com,
New York Daily News,
8 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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Many of them relied on courageous individuals who have taken leaps of faith and shared information, sometimes at real personal risk.—
Robert Faturechi,
ProPublica,
11 Apr. 2026
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In all fairness, the intense focus on all of this over the past three years probably has made the play, which was a courageous piece to write in 2023, feel less fresh.—
Chris Jones,
Chicago Tribune,
9 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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Devastated by grief and horror beneath her armor, yet so valiant in public.—
TIME,
Time,
7 Apr. 2026
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Until the lava of the bird’s stomach melts her valiant resins, dissolves her nomadic strength, and transforms her into a viscous secretion.—
María Ospina,
The Dial,
31 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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Cox always had a chip on his shoulder, but also seemed invincible — and fearless.—
Michael Schneider,
Variety,
9 Apr. 2026
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From a legacy icon to a comeback story to one of the game’s most fearless dressers, the lineup reads like a brand deck designed to bridge generations.—
Ryan Brennan
April 7,
Miami Herald,
7 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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It was later determined that the baby did not die in his sleep, as the Florida parents claimed.—
Bailey Richards,
PEOPLE,
12 Apr. 2026
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Despite reports of Fox’s Baywatch reboot being pushed out of Venice Beach, local officials are determined to keep production in Los Angeles County.—
Glenn Garner,
Deadline,
11 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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But the Ballances were more than gallant warriors – in fact, a life-size oil painting of Marti’s great-grandfather Charles Ballance’s wife and children – including her grandfather Willis as a 3-year-old – hangs in a place of honor at the Illinois State Museum in Springfield.—
Denise Crosby,
Chicago Tribune,
17 Apr. 2026
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And Texas made a gallant comeback to tie the game at 77-77 when Pope coolly sank three consecutive free throws after getting fouled behind the arc with 3.8 seconds remaining.—
Kirk Bohls,
Houston Chronicle,
8 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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The display showed, on the left, the face of a gray-haired man with a resolute expression, his neck vanishing into a white collar and dark suit.—
Simon Akam,
Vanity Fair,
2 Apr. 2026
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Whichever team is more resolute in executing its game plan will likely move on to the Final Four.—
Christian Babcock,
Mercury News,
28 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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The London native spent two years with the Royal Shakespeare Company before exiting to star in the title role of the heroic young man in the acclaimed 1970 BBC miniseries Daniel Deronda, based on the 1876 George Eliot novel.—
Mike Barnes,
HollywoodReporter,
11 Apr. 2026
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From Biblical times to current, the following are gender-neutral names with heroic attitude.—
Taylor Grothe,
Parents,
10 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Plucky.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/plucky. Accessed 20 Apr. 2026.
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