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
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of spirited
Jason P. Frank, Vulture, 24 Jan. 2026
Bibby instructed his Hornets to feed the ball inside to Lavrenov during a spirited rally against the trees that clogged the lane for Northern Colorado.
—Joe Davidson, Sacbee.com, 23 Jan. 2026
If the goal is to trigger unruly public unrest to justify presidential invocation of the insurrection act as some charge, why not visit the spirited crowds at WWE instead.
—Jeffrey Sonnenfeld, Fortune, 21 Jan. 2026
One night after the Texas men let one get away in a home loss to the men from College Station, the ladies turned the tables and got things back on track before a spirited Moody crowd.
—Cedric Golden, Austin American Statesman, 20 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for spirited
Adjective
The speculation, though, is definitely mean-spirited (and also fun to watch).
—Jason P. Frank, Vulture, 24 Jan. 2026
Bibby instructed his Hornets to feed the ball inside to Lavrenov during a spirited rally against the trees that clogged the lane for Northern Colorado.
—Joe Davidson, Sacbee.com, 23 Jan. 2026
If the goal is to trigger unruly public unrest to justify presidential invocation of the insurrection act as some charge, why not visit the spirited crowds at WWE instead.
—Jeffrey Sonnenfeld, Fortune, 21 Jan. 2026
One night after the Texas men let one get away in a home loss to the men from College Station, the ladies turned the tables and got things back on track before a spirited Moody crowd.
—Cedric Golden, Austin American Statesman, 20 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for spirited
Recent Examples of Synonyms for spirited
Adjective
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Rooted in their culture that values family, friendships and loyalty above everything else, emotions often take over as these fiery personalities navigate their highs, lows and everything in between.—
Katie Campione,
Deadline,
29 Jan. 2026
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The necklace is a symbol of Taylor's fiery love story with Richard Burton.—
Rachel Burchfield,
InStyle,
29 Jan. 2026
Adjective
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But smart casting, witty writing, lively directing, and artful character development have also yielded the rare superhero riff that, as Kovak puts it, finds the human underneath.—
Judy Berman,
Time,
26 Jan. 2026
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For 30 minutes, the producers mostly paint with a warm, lively palette, whisking fragments of IDM, ghettotech, and house into a hypnotic swirl.—
Rae-Aila Crumble,
Pitchfork,
26 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
Then Barnes snatched all three points with the latest winning goal in a Premier League game Opta has on record (since 2006-07).—
Chris Waugh,
New York Times,
7 Jan. 2026
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The dictator who imprisoned and tortured Venezuelan politicians, activists, and ordinary people was snatched from his bed and put on an American plane with his wife, Cilia Flores.—
Gisela Salim-Peyer,
The Atlantic,
5 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
Instructor Peggie Moore is passionate about working with students of every age, size, shape and ability.—
Kris Slugg,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
27 Jan. 2026
-
Kubota is passionate about water, food and the environment.—
Sabbir Rangwala,
Forbes.com,
26 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
His interests reflect both his creativity and his energetic spirit.—
MARE Staff,
Boston Herald,
25 Jan. 2026
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Some 35 times more energetic than any neutrino seen before, the particle might have shot out from a highly active galaxy — a blazar — or a background source of cosmogenic high-energy particles that scientists suspect pervade the cosmos.—
Quanta Magazine,
Quanta Magazine,
23 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Heart rhythms, sleep quality, activity patterns and metabolic trends are captured in real time.—
Sahar Hashmi,
Forbes.com,
29 Jan. 2026
-
Benedict doesn’t realize that the woman who has entirely captured his attention is Sophie, the maid for the formidable Araminta Gun (Katie Leung), aka Lady Penwood and her daughters, the vicious and self-absorbed Rosamund Li (Michelle Mao) and the sweet but simple Posy Li (Isabella Wei).—
Aramide Tinubu,
Variety,
29 Jan. 2026
Adjective
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Choose from this soothing sea glass colorway, a pretty carnation pink, and a spunky teal—all for 19 percent off.—
Francesca Krempa,
Travel + Leisure,
17 Jan. 2026
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Ten weeks later, the short, spunky Canadian of Indian descent and mother of two walked into a conference room filled with owners of all 32 NFL teams — and did just that.—
Evan Webeck,
Mercury News,
30 Dec. 2025
Adjective
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Some faculty members are using their zero-textbook-cost funds to develop animated videos, interactive quizzes and other active learning projects that will replace costly publisher materials.—
Austin Barraza,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
22 Jan. 2026
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While initially met with racist backlash online, there's no denying that every change was necessary to reflect 21st-century values (even Jodie Benson, the voice of the animated Ariel, agrees), with additional songs written by Lin-Manuel Miranda and a few subtle tweaks to the plot.—
James Mercadante,
Entertainment Weekly,
20 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Spirited.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/spirited. Accessed 30 Jan. 2026.
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