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
Yes, but: Some argue that these plucky underdogs may cease to exist as good players transfer to more elite programs that can offer them more NIL money.
—
Maxwell Millington, Axios, 7 Apr. 2025
The intense first look at his new film, The Running Man, debuted at CinemaCon on Thursday and introduced Powell's plucky Ben Richards, the hero of Stephen King's 1982 novel of the same name, written under the pseudonym Richard Bachman.
—EW.com, 3 Apr. 2025
There are plucky steamed chive dumplings with translucent skin, meatball-like shumai teeming with pork, chicken or shrimp, green tea sesame balls (each $1.50 apiece) with Wicked-green dough surrounding sweet black paste.
—Benjy Egel, Sacbee.com, 2 Apr. 2025
That pluckiest of Cinderellas, Calipari has the Razorbacks playing at the top of their form.
—Jordan Brenner, New York Times, 27 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for plucky
Maxwell Millington, Axios, 7 Apr. 2025
The intense first look at his new film, The Running Man, debuted at CinemaCon on Thursday and introduced Powell's plucky Ben Richards, the hero of Stephen King's 1982 novel of the same name, written under the pseudonym Richard Bachman.
—EW.com, 3 Apr. 2025
There are plucky steamed chive dumplings with translucent skin, meatball-like shumai teeming with pork, chicken or shrimp, green tea sesame balls (each $1.50 apiece) with Wicked-green dough surrounding sweet black paste.
—Benjy Egel, Sacbee.com, 2 Apr. 2025
That pluckiest of Cinderellas, Calipari has the Razorbacks playing at the top of their form.
—Jordan Brenner, New York Times, 27 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for plucky
Recent Examples of Synonyms for plucky
Adjective
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The National Police Office will fully take care of the benefits and welfare of the families of the 5 brave policemen.—
Becca Longmire,
People.com,
25 Apr. 2025
-
Holocaust survivor Marian Turski warned us all to be vigilant against indifference for good reason: turning inward at times of strife prevents us from being brave and leads to the exploitation of the vulnerable.—
Robert Williams,
Time,
24 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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Take the first step today and let your epic story unfold, one courageous step at a time.—
Neerja Bhatia,
Forbes.com,
29 Apr. 2025
-
Originally bred as herding dogs, German shepherds earned the reputation of being affectionate, courageous and incredibly loyal.—
Mohammed Soliman,
MSNBC Newsweek,
28 Apr. 2025
Adjective
-
Without every last one of those points, there’s no telling whether No. 1 Duke would’ve survived No. 4 Arizona’s valiant comeback attempt.—
The Athletic College Basketball Staff,
New York Times,
28 Mar. 2025
-
The Cybertruck is indeed a valiant effort in doing something new, and that’s not what most manufacturers dare to do.—
New Atlas,
New Atlas,
12 Apr. 2025
Adjective
-
Known for their fearless improvisation and genre-defying performances, the trio’s performance in a hall, on the grounds of a former convent, was a 45-minute, intense, non-stop wall of sound.—
Joanne Shurvell,
Forbes.com,
19 Apr. 2025
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Beyoncé's energy has always radiated the passionate, headstrong spirit of this Fire sign, whether in her performances or her fearless business ventures.—
Valerie Mesa,
People.com,
18 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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But Trump remains defiant about the tariffs, much like Putin remains determined to continue Russia’s assault on Ukraine.—
Leonard Greene,
New York Daily News,
27 Apr. 2025
-
Despite a sentence that will likely mean spending the rest of her life in prison, Melody remains determined to prove her innocence.—
Susan Mallie,
CBS News,
26 Apr. 2025
Adjective
-
For nearly a century after the Civil War, terroristic lynchings of Black men in the South were frequently justified as gallant acts by white men to protect their wives and daughters.—
Livia Gershon,
JSTOR Daily,
16 Apr. 2025
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An elaborate ideology confers legitimacy upon the Kim family: according to the country’s founding myth, Kim Il Sung led a gallant band of guerilla fighters in the bitter winds of Manchuria to defeat the Japanese, liberate the Korean people, and establish the North Korean state.—
JENNIFER LIND,
Foreign Affairs,
25 Oct. 2010
Adjective
-
If such a situation arises, China will never accept it and will take countermeasures in a resolute and reciprocal manner.—
Ross Rosenfeld,
MSNBC Newsweek,
23 Apr. 2025
-
Garland shared the duo’s resolute ethic while appearing at a Los Angeles panel alongside Mendoza (and D’Pharoah Woon-A-Tai, who portrays Mendoza with a convincing stoicism that arose from his inquiries into the concerted memories of the SEAL’s battle mates).—
Fred Schruers,
IndieWire,
10 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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Internet users were gripped by Chewy's antics and the heroic rescue, leading to more than 4,200 comments on the TikTok post so far.—
Thomas G. Moukawsher,
MSNBC Newsweek,
25 Apr. 2025
-
The subsequent two hours unfold in the broadest of brush strokes as the heroic Anakin devolves into a yellow-eyed, child-slaughtering psychopath in a preposterously short amount of time.—
Richard Edwards,
Space.com,
24 Apr. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Plucky.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/plucky. Accessed 4 May. 2025.
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