1
as in fiery
marked by a lively display of strong feeling
the town meeting featured a spirited debate about the proposed ban on skateboarding in the plaza downtown
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in lively
having much high-spirited energy and movement
a team known for its spirited and in-your-face basketball
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of spirited
ArsTechnica, 22 May 2026
Ultimately, players voted to end the strike; but owners, recognizing their leverage and being what many would call mean-spirited, refused to allow players to compete in that weekend’s games.
—Tracy Grant, Encyclopedia Britannica, 19 May 2026
The winning bid of $157 million, which came after a spirited 10 minute bidding war that saw auctioneer Adrien Meyer counting up the bids in $1 million increments barely above a whisper, went to a buyer represented by Christie’s global president Alex Rotter.
—Harrison Jacobs, ARTnews.com, 18 May 2026
Whatever those fans yelled at Leonsis, however mean-spirited the social media posts were, the moment has shifted.
—Barry Svrluga, New York Times, 14 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for spirited
Adjective
Simpson doesn’t appear to have mounted a spirited defense.
—ArsTechnica, 22 May 2026
Ultimately, players voted to end the strike; but owners, recognizing their leverage and being what many would call mean-spirited, refused to allow players to compete in that weekend’s games.
—Tracy Grant, Encyclopedia Britannica, 19 May 2026
The winning bid of $157 million, which came after a spirited 10 minute bidding war that saw auctioneer Adrien Meyer counting up the bids in $1 million increments barely above a whisper, went to a buyer represented by Christie’s global president Alex Rotter.
—Harrison Jacobs, ARTnews.com, 18 May 2026
Whatever those fans yelled at Leonsis, however mean-spirited the social media posts were, the moment has shifted.
—Barry Svrluga, New York Times, 14 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for spirited
Recent Examples of Synonyms for spirited
Adjective
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Output and downtime tug hard as the intuitive Moon activates your 6th House of Work and Health, opposing fiery Mars in your 12th House of Solitude.—
Tarot.com,
New York Daily News,
28 May 2026
-
These fiery thighs are easy to make.—
Lynda Balslev,
Mercury News,
26 May 2026
Adjective
-
Food and drink The lobby lounge always seems to have a coffee and cocktail menu at hand, and that’s why the area stays lively from morning to night.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
2 June 2026
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Also enjoy tours of the Nectar Garden, lively puppet shows, special presentations about pollinators, family-friendly nature crafts and live music.—
Hema Sivanandam,
Mercury News,
1 June 2026
Verb
-
Cleveland snatched an immediate 1-0 lead in the bottom of the first on back-to-back doubles by rookie leadoff hitter Travis Bazzana and star third baseman José Ramírez, but then Gray settled in and gave his team six innings of one-run ball on 92 pitches (58 for strikes).—
Gabrielle Starr,
Boston Herald,
30 May 2026
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After an early goal by the Italian forward Moise Kean provided a period of optimism, Bosnia and Herzegovina tied the score in the seventy-ninth minute, then snatched victory in penalty kicks, sending the home crowd into jubilation.—
Albert Samaha,
New Yorker,
30 May 2026
Adjective
-
Tastad explained that their design team has extensive experience with the brand and is passionate about digging into its archives for design inspiration and re-imagining many of the vintage styles.—
Fairchild Studio,
Footwear News,
1 June 2026
-
Becker has long been passionate about this subject, sensitive to the common critique that California native plants look less than spectacular come summertime.—
Pedro Moura,
Los Angeles Times,
1 June 2026
Adjective
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Platini had star quality, but Infantino was an energetic administrator with a noticeable gift for languages.—
Sam Knight,
New Yorker,
1 June 2026
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We were joined by İsmet Öztanık, the energetic third-generation hotelier behind the Avantgarde Refined brand, which also includes a sister Bodrum property alongside the family’s larger Avantgarde Collection portfolio.—
Anya von Bremzen,
Travel + Leisure,
31 May 2026
Verb
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Helicopter footage captured by NBC4 showed police tape cordoning off a section of the residential street, where a large number of emergency responders were gathered.—
Clara Harter,
Los Angeles Times,
28 May 2026
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That task was best tackled by the great Brazilian poet Carlos Drummond de Andrade, whose tribute, published in the Jornal do Brasil, captured the nuances of the collective mood.—
Jack Lang,
New York Times,
28 May 2026
Adjective
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The service Expect friendly, warm service from the spunky staff, plus a sense of freedom to do your thing.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
27 May 2026
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Stressing the omnipresent influence of the Portuguese colonizers, chorizo cooks with red kidney beans and black-eyed peas in a spunky chile-vinegar tomato sauce in a Goan adaptation of Brazilian feijoada.—
Scott Hocker,
TheWeek,
11 May 2026
Adjective
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In recent years, Hollywood decided adult comedies were not good bets in movie theaters, and instead focused heavily on superheroes and animated films.—
Rodney Ho,
AJC.com,
22 May 2026
-
Toons boom across the Croisette this year, with colorful features opening Critics’ Week, closing Directors’ Fortnight, and appearing across nearly every section — further cementing Cannes’ status as a premier launchpad for animated cinema.—
Ben Croll,
Variety,
18 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Spirited.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/spirited. Accessed 2 Jun. 2026.
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