spirited
adjective
Did you know?
You may see spirited used to describe a conversation, a debate, a horse, or a campaign. And it often shows up in such words as high-spirited ("bold and energetic"), mean-spirited ("spiteful"), and public-spirited ("generous to a community"), all of which reflect the original meaning of spirit, a notion much like "soul" or "personality".
Synonyms
Examples of spirited in a Sentence
Ben Bolch, Los Angeles Times, 6 Apr. 2024
As an island that has spent over 400 years as a crossroads for sailors of all stripes – from British admirals to plundering pirates – rum has always been a spirited part of Bermuda’s history.
—Dominique Fluker, Essence, 19 Mar. 2024
Opening Day parade watch parties Nothing says Cincinnati like a spirited watch party.
—Grace Tucker, The Enquirer, 26 Mar. 2024
The radio crackles as the flight director, a spirited senior named Kruti Bhingradiya, calls out orders to the team.
—Geoff Brumfiel, NPR, 25 Mar. 2024
The bar’s owner, Frankie (a spirited Jessica Williams), has hired Dalton to purge the riffraff, the better to realize her dream of making the Road House a respectable joint worthy of destination weddings and romantic getaways.
—Ann Hornaday, Washington Post, 22 Mar. 2024
In a state where party bosses can tamp down most viable primary challenges, particularly for popular incumbents, he is locked in a spirited contest for the Democratic nomination with the mayor of Hoboken, Ravi Bhalla.
—Tracey Tully, New York Times, 20 Mar. 2024
But a spirited State of the Union address last week seemed to temper some concerns for now about his ability to do the job.
—Kaia Hubbard, CBS News, 12 Mar. 2024
The episode — which included Sweeney appearing as a Hooters waitress in a skit that has already been watched 3.7 million times on YouTube — set in motion a spirited debate online.
—Leah Dolan, CNN, 11 Mar. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'spirited.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near spirited
Cite this Entry
“Spirited.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/spirited. Accessed 16 Apr. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
spirited
adjective
Share