Dictionary

feisty en · ADJ

Pronunciation

• (Southern-England) audio
• /ˈfaɪsti/

Etymology

First use appears c. 1875 in the US. From feist (“a small, aggressive dog”) + -y; the term feist (now rare) itself originally meant “stink”, and earlier “fart”, from Middle English, from Old English, from Proto-Germanic, presumably from Proto-Indo-European – see feist for details.

Meanings

1. Tenacious, energetic, spunky.
   • The feisty puppy barked at everyone.
   • She gave a feisty response during the debate.
   • spirited and feisty
2. Belligerent; prepared to stand and fight, especially in spite of relatively small stature or some other disadvantage.
   • small but feisty
   • The feisty wife of a world-renowned Russian sculptor emasculated an armed thug outside her Soho home — saying he “didn’t have the cojones to shoot her,” police sources said yesterday. 2013 July 10, Daniel Prendergast, “‘You don’t have the cojones’: 54-year-old woman fronts up to would-be muggers who pointed gun at her chest”, in New York Post, archived from the original on 02 Aug 2016:
3. Easily offended and ready to bicker.
   • a feisty attitude

Forms

Deriveds

unfeisty · feistiness · shiesty · feistily · nonfeisty

Synonyms

testy

Translations (93)

de lebhaft (tenacious) · de streitsüchtig (belligerent) · de überlaunig (easily offended) · pt melindroso (easily offended) · cs agresivní (belligerent) · ru напо́ристый (tenacious) · fi ärhäkkä (easily offended) · mk на́метлив (tenacious) · de mutig (tenacious) · hu harcias (belligerent) · es tenaz (tenacious) · el μαχητικός (belligerent) · de resolut (tenacious) · cs houževnatý (tenacious) · fi ärhäkkä (tenacious) · nl vechtlustig (belligerent) · cs útočný (belligerent) · de lebendig (tenacious) · hu eleven (tenacious) · de quirlig (tenacious) · de verletzlich (easily offended) · gl tenaz (tenacious) · de reizbar (easily offended) · pt obstinado (tenacious) · de munter (tenacious) · es agresivo (belligerent) · fi herkkänahkainen (easily offended) · hu sértődékeny (easily offended) · ru вздо́рный (belligerent) · de übellaunig (belligerent) · el δυναμικός (tenacious) · gl obstinado (tenacious) · cs bojovný (belligerent) · fi ärhäkkä (belligerent) · ka გამძლე (tenacious) · it combattivo (belligerent) · de temperamentvoll (tenacious) · de hartnäckig (tenacious) · el ενεργητικός (tenacious) · fi kipakka (tenacious) · cs hašteřivý (easily offended) · fr agressif (belligerent) · sv stridslysten (belligerent) · ka უდრეკი (tenacious) · de streitbar (belligerent) · de beherzt (tenacious) · de resolut (belligerent) · fr tenace (tenacious) · cs svárlivý (easily offended) · pt brigão (belligerent) · ro tenace (tenacious) · de angriffslustig (belligerent) · vi đanh đá (easily offended) · nl lichtgeraakt (easily offended) · ka ჭირვეული (easily offended) · hu heves (tenacious) · ka შეუპოვარი (tenacious) · pt tenaz (tenacious) · cs rázný (tenacious) · nl hardnekkig (tenacious) · ka ფიცხი (belligerent) · th ซ่า (belligerent) · el επιθετικός (easily offended) · el επίμονος (tenacious) · pt invocado (belligerent) · cs energický (tenacious) · hu energikus (tenacious) · gl teimoso (tenacious) · de kampflustig (belligerent) · hu élénk (tenacious) · it tosto (tenacious) · ka ფხუკიანი (easily offended) · sv ettrig (tenacious) · nl strijdbaar (belligerent) · sv stridbar (belligerent) · bcl uragon (belligerent) · it tenace (tenacious) · cs smělý (belligerent) · mi whakatuma (belligerent) · hu tüzes (tenacious) · pt briguento (belligerent) · ka ჯიუტი (tenacious) · de empfindlich (easily offended) · mi whitawhita (tenacious) · cs kurážný (belligerent) · mk у́порен (tenacious) · el εριστικός (easily offended) · nl strijdlustig (belligerent) · pt perseverante (tenacious) · mi hōriri (tenacious) · de streitsüchtig (easily offended) · de zäh (tenacious) · ka მტკიცე (tenacious)