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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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of plucky
Set in a fictional, secluded land of mountains and lakes, Ochi follows a plucky teen named Yuri (played by Helena Zengel), who’s been raised by her father to fear and hunt the reclusive little beasties called ochi.
—
David Sims, The Atlantic, 28 Apr. 2025
The plucky, upstart Pistons looked like the veteran team.
—Fred Katz, New York Times, 30 Apr. 2025
Boston continues to fight through bumps and bruises to take care of business, winning Game 4 107-98 over a plucky Magic squad.
—Tom Rogers, MSNBC Newsweek, 29 Apr. 2025
Montgomery was standing on the sidelines at Albertsons Stadium watching a plucky freshman bounce off about six would-be tacklers before drifting out of bounds.
—Shaun Goodwin, Idaho Statesman, 25 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for plucky
David Sims, The Atlantic, 28 Apr. 2025
The plucky, upstart Pistons looked like the veteran team.
—Fred Katz, New York Times, 30 Apr. 2025
Boston continues to fight through bumps and bruises to take care of business, winning Game 4 107-98 over a plucky Magic squad.
—Tom Rogers, MSNBC Newsweek, 29 Apr. 2025
Montgomery was standing on the sidelines at Albertsons Stadium watching a plucky freshman bounce off about six would-be tacklers before drifting out of bounds.
—Shaun Goodwin, Idaho Statesman, 25 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for plucky
Recent Examples of Synonyms for plucky
Adjective
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Despite those scares, Ramon was brave enough to push out and defend in the opposition half.—
Guillermo Rai,
New York Times,
19 May 2025
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Many leaders want breakthrough thinking yet fail to set the conditions for people to feel brave enough to contribute.—
Ashley B. Stewart,
Forbes.com,
19 May 2025
Adjective
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The segment famously saw Piper remove Gowen's prosthetic leg, instantly establishing his courageous character.—
Andrew Ravens,
MSNBC Newsweek,
9 May 2025
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The event series is based on The Old Testament’s Book of Genesis and told through the eyes of the courageous and passionate, yet flawed women whose descendants would shape three of the world’s great faiths: Judaism, Christianity and Islam.—
Nellie Andreeva,
Deadline,
9 May 2025
Adjective
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Panthers in an 0-2 hole in the series Despite a valiant effort once again in the third — putting up 37 shot attempts and 15 scoring chances (including 10 high-danger chances) — the Panthers fell 4-3 to the Maple Leafs and are now 0-2 in the best-of-7 series.—
Jordan McPherson,
Miami Herald,
8 May 2025
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The Mets’ late-inning shortcomings squandered a valiant effort by Waddell, who was called up from Triple-A Syracuse on Wednesday to provide length as the Mets deployed a bullpen game.—
Peter Sblendorio,
New York Daily News,
1 May 2025
Adjective
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Inspired by the fearless warrior women of Norse mythology, the Golden State Valkyries represent strength, confidence, and forward momentum.—
Jenn Nelson,
Forbes.com,
15 May 2025
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Star Wars fans can be a finicky bunch, but Tony Gilroy has been fearless, much like the series creator George Lucas, in delivering to them.—
Anthony D'Alessandro,
Deadline,
13 May 2025
Adjective
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If the man is determined to have committed a crime, the library said, the police may make the information public.—
Andrew Lapin,
Sun Sentinel,
20 May 2025
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As the clinic races to rebuild, Abdallah is determined to continue providing care.—
Elizabeth Wolfe,
CNN Money,
20 May 2025
Adjective
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Luckily, her gallant Eddington co-stars Austin Butler and Pedro Pascal were there to protect her from the crazed abeille.—
Jason P. Frank,
Vulture,
16 May 2025
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Marvel’s Thunderbolts* brings together a huge ensemble cast for a less gallant take on the MCU.—
Keith Langston,
People.com,
1 May 2025
Adjective
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The closest thing that comes to mind is probably Terrence Malick’s The Tree of Life, although this is Malick by way of Jane Campion and Michael Haneke, shifting between fleeting coming-of-age moments and scenes of resolute darkness and human cruelty.—
Jordan Mintzer,
HollywoodReporter,
14 May 2025
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It was never sold in the U.S. thanks to the unwavering objections of a resolute reviewer at the FDA named Frances Oldham Kelsey.—
David Armstrong,
CNN Money,
10 May 2025
Adjective
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The drama Silkwood, based on a true story of a nuclear plant worker who died under mysterious causes, starred Meryl Streep and Kurt Russell, plus Cher in a rare, heroic gay role.—
Jordan Hoffman,
EW.com,
20 May 2025
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Rather than helping to keep the country together, the 1850 Compromise, made by legislators often hailed as heroic for their efforts, only managed to further anger Northern states while encouraging Southern representatives to increase slavery’s reach into new territories and states.—
Liz Tracey,
JSTOR Daily,
19 May 2025
Cite this Entry
“Plucky.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/plucky. Accessed 25 May. 2025.
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