as in fiery
marked by a lively display of strong feeling
a spunky determination to make the best of a bad situation
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of spunky
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, 27 May 2026
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
The Boroughs follows a group of spunky people living in an upscale retirement community.
—Madeleine Janz, PEOPLE, 30 Apr. 2026
The average lifespan for the spunky toy breed, Maltese is 15 years.
—Katelyn Chef, Martha Stewart, 12 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for spunky
ABC News, 27 May 2026
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
The Boroughs follows a group of spunky people living in an upscale retirement community.
—Madeleine Janz, PEOPLE, 30 Apr. 2026
The average lifespan for the spunky toy breed, Maltese is 15 years.
—Katelyn Chef, Martha Stewart, 12 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for spunky
Recent Examples of Synonyms for spunky
Adjective
-
The ingredients were fresh and the balance of tangy citrus notes and fiery spices made for an unforgettable meal.—
Deeya Sonalkar,
TheWeek,
18 June 2026
-
Mamdani spoke for roughly eight minutes in a fiery speech about the history of the team, the grind to the championship, the heartbreaking seasons and the perseverance necessary to finally bring a title to New York after 53 years.—
Ryan Morik OutKick,
FOXNews.com,
18 June 2026
Adjective
-
After a spirited start to the tournament with a 1-1 draw against Bosnia and Herzegovina, Canada now hope their virtual reality training will help lead to their first ever World Cup win against Qatar.—
Joshua Kloke,
New York Times,
17 June 2026
-
Sadio Mane and Kalidou Koulibaly will likely continue to grab most of the limelight, but they are well supported by a group of spirited players who will be tough to beat.—
Jibin Joseph,
PC Magazine,
16 June 2026
Adjective
-
It was captured as monarch and his eldest son visited the Natural History Museum in London to kick off the countdown to COP30, the annual United Nations climate change summit to be held the following month in Brazil, as both are passionate advocates for the environment.—
Séraphine Roger,
Vanity Fair,
21 June 2026
-
Alejandra Gomez, the executive director of the non-profit LUCHA, says that the moratorium emerged from the passionate advocacy of many Arizonans—and in the face of fierce counter-lobbying from the data center industry led by former Arizona Senator Kyrsten Sinema.—
Andrew R. Chow,
Time,
19 June 2026
Adjective
-
While many modern expressions lean heavily into fruit, this wine embraces the peppery character that helped put Cabernet Franc on the map in the first place.—
Emily Cappiello,
Forbes.com,
18 June 2026
-
Its unique balance of sweetness and peppery tang quickly made Stubbs a household name across the South.—
Catherine Jessee,
Southern Living,
4 June 2026
Adjective
-
Maddie’s Secret by John Early is doing brisk business at the IFC Center as screenings fill up for opening weekend of the Magnolia Pictures’ comedy.—
Jill Goldsmith,
Deadline,
19 June 2026
-
Even so, her spiral downward to near death before ending up in treatment is ridiculously, gloriously brisk.—
Alison Willmore,
Vulture,
19 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Spunky.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/spunky. Accessed 24 Jun. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
