feisty

English

Etymology

1896, American, feist (“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.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈfaɪsti/

• Audio (Southern England):

  (file)

• Rhymes: -aɪsti

Adjective

feisty (comparative feistier or more feisty, superlative feistiest or most feisty)

1. Tenacious, energetic, spunky.

   spirited and feisty

   She gave a feisty response during the debate.

   The feisty puppy barked at everyone.

2. Belligerent; prepared to stand and fight, especially in spite of relatively small stature or some other disadvantage.

   small but feisty

   • 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^[1], archived from the original on 2 August 2016:

     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.

3. Easily offended and ready to bicker.

   feisty attitude

Derived terms

• feistily
• feistiness
• shiesty
• unfeisty

Translations

tenacious

• Czech: houževnatý, energický (cs), rázný
• Dutch: hardnekkig (nl)
• Finnish: ärhäkkä (fi), kipakka (fi)
• French: tenace (fr)
• Galician: tenaz, obstinado, teimoso (gl)
• Georgian: შეუპოვარი (šeuṗovari), უდრეკი (udreḳi), ჯიუტი (ǯiuṭi), მტკიცე (mṭḳice), გამძლე (gamʒle)
• German: zäh (de), hartnäckig (de), lebhaft (de), temperamentvoll (de), munter (de), quirlig (de), beherzt (de), lebendig (de), mutig (de), resolut (de)
• Greek: δυναμικός (el) (dynamikós), ενεργητικός (el) (energitikós), επίμονος (el) (epímonos)
• Hungarian: heves (hu), tüzes (hu), eleven (hu), élénk (hu), energikus (hu)
• Italian: tenace (it), tosto (it)
• Macedonian: у́порен (úporen), на́метлив (námetliv)
• Māori: hōriri, whitawhita
• Portuguese: tenaz (pt), obstinado (pt), perseverante (pt)
• Romanian: tenace (ro)
• Russian: напо́ристый (ru) (napóristyj)
• Spanish: tenaz (es)
• Swedish: ettrig (sv)

belligerent

• Bikol:

  Central Bikol: uragon (bcl)

• Czech: útočný (cs), agresivní (cs), bojovný (cs), kurážný, smělý (cs)
• Dutch: strijdlustig (nl), strijdbaar (nl), vechtlustig (nl)
• Finnish: ärhäkkä (fi)
• French: agressif (fr)
• Georgian: ფიცხი (picxi)
• German: streitsüchtig (de), kampflustig (de), streitbar (de), übellaunig (de), angriffslustig (de), resolut (de)
• Greek: μαχητικός (el) (machitikós)
• Hungarian: harcias (hu)
• Italian: combattivo (it)
• Māori: whakatuma
• Portuguese: invocado (pt), brigão (pt), briguento (pt)
• Russian: вздо́рный (ru) (vzdórnyj)
• Spanish: agresivo (es)
• Swedish: stridslysten (sv), stridbar (sv)
• Thai: ซ่า (sâa) (colloquial)

easily offended

• Czech: svárlivý, hašteřivý (cs)
• Dutch: lichtgeraakt (nl)
• Finnish: herkkänahkainen, ärhäkkä (fi)
• Georgian: ფხუკიანი (pxuḳiani), ჭირვეული (č̣irveuli)
• German: empfindlich (de), reizbar (de), überlaunig, streitsüchtig (de), verletzlich (de)
• Greek: επιθετικός (el) (epithetikós), εριστικός (el) (eristikós)
• Hungarian: sértődékeny (hu)
• Portuguese: melindroso (pt)
• Vietnamese: đanh đá (vi)

Anagrams

• fiesty