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
Over thousands of years of history, our propaganda has repeatedly sought to portray ourselves as the plucky underdogs, surviving against huge physical odds by marshaling our intelligence and native cunning against the brute forces of nature.
—
Literary Hub, 18 Feb. 2026
This isn’t a plucky 250 trying to punch above its weight.
—New Atlas, 17 Feb. 2026
In Comulate’s telling, Applied and Hellman & Friedman are monopolistic predators that use their market dominance to crush plucky upstarts seeking to build products on top of Epic.
—John Hyatt, Forbes.com, 30 Jan. 2026
McAdams plays the plucky Linda Liddle, a valuable but unnoticed asset to making the wheels turn at a consulting firm as a strategy and planning exec.
—Pete Hammond, Deadline, 26 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for plucky
Literary Hub, 18 Feb. 2026
This isn’t a plucky 250 trying to punch above its weight.
—New Atlas, 17 Feb. 2026
In Comulate’s telling, Applied and Hellman & Friedman are monopolistic predators that use their market dominance to crush plucky upstarts seeking to build products on top of Epic.
—John Hyatt, Forbes.com, 30 Jan. 2026
McAdams plays the plucky Linda Liddle, a valuable but unnoticed asset to making the wheels turn at a consulting firm as a strategy and planning exec.
—Pete Hammond, Deadline, 26 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for plucky
Recent Examples of Synonyms for plucky
Adjective
-
Be brave; ask for fair, shared effort.—
Tarot.com,
New York Daily News,
16 Mar. 2026
-
Emma experimented with mark-making, texture, movement, and abstraction in ways that felt both brave and sincere.—
Heide Janssen,
Oc Register,
15 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
Other shows on this list were more consistent, but none were as courageous.—
Eric Vilas-Boas,
Vulture,
18 Mar. 2026
-
For its personal and courageous cinematic approach that confronts the ongoing negotiation between truth and lies, life and death.—
Matthew Carey,
Deadline,
15 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
Hundreds of firefighters worked to extinguish a massive fire that broke out at a warehouse near Miami Gardens in northwest Miami-Dade on Thursday, but officials fear that the blaze could smolder for days despite their valiant efforts to put it out.—
Steven Yablonski,
CBS News,
6 Mar. 2026
-
There was a strong suspicion that the deployment of Meredith and his two valiant soldiers was more of a low-cost publicity stunt than a serious attempt to cull the emu population.—
Tom Hawking,
Popular Science,
25 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
The Frontier is a nonprofit newsroom that produces fearless journalism with impact in Oklahoma.—
Brianna Bailey,
The Frontier,
14 Mar. 2026
-
Our fearless hunting party hears another gunshot, and all eyes land on Captain Cunningham standing over a bear carcass.—
Lincee Ray,
Entertainment Weekly,
13 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
But the leading candidates to succeed her seem determined to support the tax regardless of the consequences.—
Editorial Board,
Washington Post,
15 Mar. 2026
-
The people in charge of Florida government — which is top-to-bottom controlled by extreme elements of the GOP — are determined to turn this state into California, where voters are duped into supporting an endless stream of short-sighted tax cuts.—
Orlando Sentinel Editorial Board,
The Orlando Sentinel,
14 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
More significant and symbolic than an ultimately gallant failure in Mumbai was the moment Harry Brook effectively dropped the World Cup with the last mistake of what has been the most turbulent period of his meteoric rise to become one of the best batters in the world.—
Paul Newman,
New York Times,
5 Mar. 2026
-
Tilt and the gallant escort was replaced by a boy too traumatized to leave his mother’s side.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
20 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
Baking director Peter Edris is a 27-year baker who leads the kitchen in a calm but resolute manner.—
Sarah Blaskovich,
Dallas Morning News,
9 Mar. 2026
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The resolute tango between the personal and the practical is a hallmark of a cookbook humdinger.—
Scott Hocker,
TheWeek,
5 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
The Best Actor category, in particular, has honored a wide variety of performance types, from bone-chilling turns like Anthony Hopkins in The Silence of the Lambs (1991) to heroic tributes to human decency like Gregory Peck in To Kill a Mockingbird (1962).—
Devan Coggan,
Entertainment Weekly,
15 Mar. 2026
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But Reaves turned his second free throw into dramatics, a heroic shot and an overtime win.—
Benjamin Royer,
Oc Register,
15 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Plucky.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/plucky. Accessed 21 Mar. 2026.
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