as in fiery
marked by a lively display of strong feeling
a spunky determination to make the best of a bad situation
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of spunky
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
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
Henry remembers Heather's mom as spunky and funny.
—Maggie Menderski, Louisville Courier Journal, 22 Dec. 2025
Surprisingly, the spunky wannabe warrior becomes the most consequential character in the third and possibly final movie of the blockbuster sci-fi franchise, whose previous two installments netted roughly $5 billion worldwide.
—Patrick Ryan, USA Today, 20 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for spunky
Francesca Krempa, Travel + Leisure, 17 Jan. 2026
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
Henry remembers Heather's mom as spunky and funny.
—Maggie Menderski, Louisville Courier Journal, 22 Dec. 2025
Surprisingly, the spunky wannabe warrior becomes the most consequential character in the third and possibly final movie of the blockbuster sci-fi franchise, whose previous two installments netted roughly $5 billion worldwide.
—Patrick Ryan, USA Today, 20 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for spunky
Recent Examples of Synonyms for spunky
Adjective
-
The fiery lawmaker, who leads the leftist Economic Freedom Fighters party, was charged alongside his bodyguards Anton Snyman, after the video of the incident went viral.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
16 Apr. 2026
-
Mercury in your sign is lined up with Neptune, while your ruler fiery Mars gets a boost from Pluto.—
Georgia Nicols,
Denver Post,
16 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
The next climb is in process, including a spirited spring drills session on Saturday in which Plough and his staff ran the Aggies though a series of drills and live scrimmage action in a two-hour session on Jim Sochor field with a mix of fan interaction.—
Joe Davidson,
Sacbee.com,
20 Apr. 2026
-
Only the usually high-spirited Alex Brightman seems lacking in purpose here.—
Greg Evans,
Deadline,
20 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
Law enforcement made passionate pleas for parents and children alike to take gun safety more seriously.—
Holly Yan,
CNN Money,
20 Apr. 2026
-
The latter is a nonstarter, given that Baker is a passionate defender of cinemas.—
Matt Donnelly,
Variety,
20 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
Lower in alcohol and markedly less sweet than most European counterparts, this aperitif is quite fresh, with peppery notes of eucalyptus and a pleasantly tart currant flavor.—
Jerry & Krista Slater,
AJC.com,
12 Apr. 2026
-
The leaves and flowers are commonly added to salads for their peppery bite.—
Kim Toscano,
Southern Living,
12 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
Or that their brisk pace would only have been possible for world-class athletes.—
Jack Dolan,
Los Angeles Times,
15 Apr. 2026
-
The city is contemplating a brisk timeline of four years to build the stadium.—
Chris Higgins,
Kansas City Star,
15 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Spunky.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/spunky. Accessed 23 Apr. 2026.
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