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
Tracy Brown, Los Angeles Times, 27 May 2026
Emilia—led by Greg Vernick, the James Beard Award–winning chef behind Vernick Food & Drink and Vernick Fish at the Four Seasons—is a trattoria-spirited Italian spot where chef de cuisine Meri Medoway oversees a menu of handmade, seasonal pastas.
—Regan Stephens, Bon Appetit Magazine, 26 May 2026
As De Gaulle and Bonnier de La Chapelle, respectively, actors Simon Abkarian and Florian Lesieur give spirited and physical performances, cleverly juxtaposing the dissimilar qualities of the two central figures of the story who otherwise share ideals.
—Tomris Laffly, Variety, 25 May 2026
The love story — spirited and wrenching — begins with the meet-cute in a Los Angeles high school of introverted skateboarder AJ and gutsy surfer Kristen.
—David Rooney, HollywoodReporter, 22 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for spirited
Adjective
Channeling his inner Jameson, a spirited Simmons then motioned for Spider-Man to get tossed from the game.
—Tracy Brown, Los Angeles Times, 27 May 2026
Emilia—led by Greg Vernick, the James Beard Award–winning chef behind Vernick Food & Drink and Vernick Fish at the Four Seasons—is a trattoria-spirited Italian spot where chef de cuisine Meri Medoway oversees a menu of handmade, seasonal pastas.
—Regan Stephens, Bon Appetit Magazine, 26 May 2026
As De Gaulle and Bonnier de La Chapelle, respectively, actors Simon Abkarian and Florian Lesieur give spirited and physical performances, cleverly juxtaposing the dissimilar qualities of the two central figures of the story who otherwise share ideals.
—Tomris Laffly, Variety, 25 May 2026
The love story — spirited and wrenching — begins with the meet-cute in a Los Angeles high school of introverted skateboarder AJ and gutsy surfer Kristen.
—David Rooney, HollywoodReporter, 22 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for spirited
Recent Examples of Synonyms for spirited
Adjective
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And Mullin, a 48-year-old former Republican senator from Oklahoma and former mixed martial arts fighter, is also known for fiery exchanges with congressional committees, once challenging a Teamsters leader during a 2023 hearing.—
Eduardo Cuevas,
USA Today,
4 June 2026
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With first-round pick Caleb Downs expected to lock down the nickel cornerback spot, the competition will be fiery for the other two spots.—
Nick Harris,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
4 June 2026
Adjective
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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
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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
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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
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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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Yung-Shin Kung said that CTAs had captured the rally in precious metals, primarily silver and gold, at the beginning of the year, before switching to industrial metals that are poised to benefit from AI infrastructure investment and supply constraints caused by the Iran war.—
Hugh Leask,
CNBC,
5 June 2026
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But generally speaking, did this seem like a concept album to you that was being captured?—
Chris Willman,
Variety,
4 June 2026
Adjective
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Field plays Tova Sullivan, a widowed, allegedly elderly woman who, because she is inhabited by the still-spunky actress, never quite seems elderly enough.—
Peter Tonguette,
The Washington Examiner,
30 May 2026
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Stanford was credited with a 5-0 victory over Pepperdine in the quarterfinals and 5-0 victory over spunky Eastern Michigan in the semifinal.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
27 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
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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 5 Jun. 2026.
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