Spirited — Meaning, Definition & Synonyms

adjective verb /ˈspir-ə-təd/ spir·it·ed

Meaning & Definition of Spirited

Spirited (adjective)

  1. full of energy, animation, or courage

Spirited (adjective) — Senses, Synonyms & Antonyms

  1. marked by a lively display of strong feeling

    "the town meeting featured a spirited debate about the proposed ban on skateboarding in the plaza downtown"

    similar: fiery, gingery, high-spirited, mettlesome, peppery, spunky
    related: aggressive, ambitious, assertive, high-pressure, in-your-face, militant, pushy, animate, animated, bouncing, bouncy, brisk, energetic, feisty, frisky, jaunty, jazzy, kinetic, peppy, perky, pert, racy, scrappy, snappy, spanking, sparky, sprightly, springy, vital, vivacious, zippy, ardent, fervent, impassioned, passionate, emphatic, obtrusive
    opposite: halfhearted, leaden, spiritless
    near: bloodless, boring, dull, lifeless, dead, inanimate, lackadaisical, languid, languorous, limp, listless, inert, lethargic, sleepy, sluggish, tired, torpid, low-pressure, nonassertive, unaggressive, unambitious, unassertive, unenterprising

  2. having much high-spirited energy and movement

    "a team known for its spirited and in-your-face basketball"

    similar: active, airy, animate, animated, bouncing, brisk, energetic, frisky, gay, jaunty, jazzy, kinetic, lively, mettlesome, peppy, perky, pert, pizzazzy, racy, snappy, spanking, sparky, sprightly, springy, vital, vivacious, zippy, on the go
    related: dapper, dashing, spiffy, agog, alert, awake, open-eyed, up, wide-awake, agile, nimble, spry, bright, buoyant, cheerful, chipper, chirpy, chirrupy, effervescent, sparkly, upbeat, eager, enthusiastic, keen, frolicsome, impish, pixieish, playful, boisterous, bubbly, ebullient, exuberant, high-spirited, high-strung, nervous, skittish
    opposite: dead, inactive, inanimate, lackadaisical, languid, languishing, languorous, leaden, lifeless, limp, listless, spiritless, vapid
    near: indolent, lazy, unambitious, inert, lethargic, sleepy, sluggish, tired, torpid, weary, apathetic, impassive, phlegmatic, stolid, boring, dull, irksome, tedious

Spirited (verb) — Senses, Synonyms & Antonyms

  1. as in snatched, absconded (with)

    similar: absconded (with), snatched, captured, crimped, impressed, seized, shanghaied, waylaid, hijacked, abducted, kidnapped, caught, copped (slang), stole, took
    opposite: delivered, ransomed, redeemed, rescued, restored, returned

Related Entry: Spirited (away or off) (verb)

Spirited (away or off) is a different word from Spirited. The synonyms below are for spirited (away or off), not for spirited.

  1. as in kidnapped, abducted

    similar: abducted, kidnapped, enmeshed, ensnared, entangled, entrapped, meshed, rent, wrested, clasped, clutched, fastened (on), fisted, grasped, gripped, held, latched (on or onto), secured, bayed, cornered, apprehended, arrested, detained, gloved, haltered, lassoed, roped, bagged, captured, caught, collared, copped (slang), corralled, glommed, got, grabbed, grappled, hooked, landed, nabbed, nailed, netted, nobbled (British slang), rapped, seized, snagged, snapped (up), snared, snatched, trapped
    opposite: missed, discharged, freed, liberated, released, dropped, loosened, unhanded

Related Entry: High-spirited (adjective)

High-spirited is a different word from Spirited. The synonyms below are for high-spirited, not for spirited.

  1. joyously unrestrained

    "a high-spirited crowd loudly cheering the basketball team on"

    similar: bouncy, bubbly, buoyant, crank (chiefly dialect), effervescent, exuberant, frolic, frolicsome, gamesome, gay, vivacious
    related: extroverted, outgoing, uninhibited, carefree, happy-go-lucky, insouciant, joyful, lighthearted, lively, sprightly, boisterous, raucous, rollicking, rowdy, giddy, light-headed, overexuberant, silly, ecstatic, euphoric, lyric, rapturous, audacious, bold, brash, brazen, impertinent, impudent, insolent, saucy
    opposite: low-spirited, sullen
    near: constrained, inhibited, repressed, restrained, subdued, impassive, phlegmatic, stoic, stolid, depressed, dour, glum, morose, surly

  2. marked by a lively display of strong feeling

    "the band struck up a high-spirited march as the President's motorcade approached"

    similar: fiery, gingery, mettlesome, peppery, spirited, spunky
    related: aggressive, ambitious, assertive, high-pressure, in-your-face, militant, pushy, animate, animated, bouncing, bouncy, brisk, energetic, feisty, frisky, jaunty, jazzy, kinetic, peppy, perky, pert, racy, scrappy, snappy, spanking, sparky, sprightly, springy, vital, vivacious, zippy, ardent, fervent, impassioned, passionate, emphatic, obtrusive
    opposite: halfhearted, leaden, spiritless
    near: bloodless, boring, dull, lifeless, dead, inanimate, lackadaisical, languid, languorous, limp, listless, inert, lethargic, sleepy, sluggish, tired, torpid, low-pressure, nonassertive, unaggressive, unambitious, unassertive, unenterprising

Related Entry: Low-spirited (adjective)

Low-spirited is a different word from Spirited. The synonyms below are for low-spirited, not for spirited.

  1. feeling unhappiness

    "the captain tried to cheer up her low-spirited teammates after their big loss"

    similar: bad, blue, brokenhearted, cast down, crestfallen, dejected, depressed, despondent, disconsolate, doleful, down, down in the mouth, downcast, downhearted, droopy, forlorn, gloomy, glum, hangdog, heartbroken, heartsick, heartsore, heavyhearted, inconsolable, joyless, low, melancholic, melancholy, miserable, mournful, sad, saddened, sorrowful, sorry, unhappy, woebegone, woeful, wretched
    related: aggrieved, distressed, troubled, uneasy, unquiet, upset, worried, despairing, hopeless, sunk, disappointed, discouraged, disheartened, dispirited, suicidal, dolorous, lachrymose, lugubrious, plaintive, tearful, regretful, rueful, agonized, anguished, grieving, wailing, weeping, black, bleak, cheerless, comfortless, dark, darkening, depressing, desolate, dismal, drear, dreary, elegiac, funereal, gray, morbid, morose, murky, saturnine, somber, sullen
    opposite: blissful, buoyant, buoyed, cheerful, cheery, chipper, delighted, glad, gladdened, gladsome, gleeful, happy, joyful, joyous, jubilant, sunny, upbeat
    near: ecstatic, elated, enraptured, entranced, euphoric, exhilarated, exuberant, exultant, overjoyed, rapturous, rhapsodic, blithe, blithesome, jocose, jocular, jocund, jolly, jovial, lightsome, merry, mirthful, excited, thrilled, hopeful, optimistic, rosy, sanguine, encouraged, heartened, animated, bouncing, energetic, frisky, jaunty, lively, peppy, perky, spirited, sprightful, sprightly, springy, vital, vivacious, zippy, content, gratified, pleased, satisfied, beaming, grinning, laughing, smiling, boon, carefree, careless, cavalier, devil-may-care, easygoing, happy-go-lucky, insouciant, lighthearted, unconcerned

Related Entry: Mean-spirited (adjective)

Mean-spirited is a different word from Spirited. The synonyms below are for mean-spirited, not for spirited.

  1. feeling or showing a desire to cause harm or pain

    "a mean-spirited person"

    "He wrote a mean-spirited book review."

    similar: contemptuous, deprecating, derogatory, disdainful, disparaging, obnoxious, opprobrious, scornful, snide, snotty, unkind, unkindly, unloving, bad (slang), bitchy, catty, cruel, despiteful, hateful, malevolent, malicious, malign, malignant, mean, nasty, spiteful, vicious, virulent, devious, scoundrelly, scurvy, snakelike, acrimonious, bitter, envious, jaundiced, jealous, rancorous, resentful, vindictive, vitriolic, baleful, baneful, evil, harsh, hostile, inimical, acrid, caustic, poisonous, scathing, venomous
    opposite: compassionate, good, good-hearted, kind, kindhearted, kindly, sympathetic, warm, warmhearted, affable, agreeable, amiable, cordial, friendly, genial, gracious, nice, pleasant, affectionate, amorous, sweet, tender, tenderhearted, humane, altruistic, high-minded, humanitarian, magnanimous, noble, philanthropic, benevolent, benign, benignant, loving, unmalicious

Related Entry: Free-spirited (adjective)

Free-spirited is a different word from Spirited. The synonyms below are for free-spirited, not for spirited.

  1. as in nontraditional, freethinking

    similar: freethinking, nontraditional, dissentient, dissenting, dissident, heretical, heterodox, iconoclastic, maverick, nonconformist, nonorthodox, out-there, unconventional, unorthodox, apostate, defecting, renegade, schismatic, sectarian, separatist
    opposite: conforming, conformist, conventional, orthodox

Related Entry: Poor-spirited (adjective)

Poor-spirited is a different word from Spirited. The synonyms below are for poor-spirited, not for spirited.

  1. as in uncourageous, weakhearted

    similar: chicken, chickenhearted, chicken-livered, coward, cowardly, craven, dastardly, fainthearted, fearful, gutless, lily-livered, milk-livered (archaic), nerveless, poltroon, pusillanimous, spineless, spiritless, timorous, uncourageous, ungallant, unheroic, weakhearted, yellow, diffident, mousy, scary, shy, skittish, timid, anxious, apprehensive, nervous, careful, cautious, heedful, prudent, unadventurous, afraid, agitated, disconcerted, disquieted, disturbed, frightened, horrified, panicked, panic-stricken, perturbed, scared, shocked, spooked, startled, terrified, terrorized, unnerved, upset, appalled, concerned, dismayed, worried, unmanly, weak, wimpy
    opposite: bold, brave, courageous, dauntless, doughty, fearless, gallant, greathearted, gutsy, gutty, heroic, intrepid, lionhearted, manful, stalwart, stout, stouthearted, undauntable, undaunted, valiant, valorous, determined, firm, game, gamy, gritty, plucky, resolute, Spartan, undeterred, undismayed, unflinching, unswerving, mettlesome, spirited, spunky

Related Entry: Free spirit (noun)

Free spirit is a different word from Spirited. The synonyms below are for free spirit, not for spirited.

  1. a person who does not conform to generally accepted standards or customs

    "an artistically inclined free spirit who felt alienated and stifled while growing up in a small town"

    similar: bohemian, boho, counterculturist, deviant, enfant terrible, heretic, iconoclast, individualist, lone ranger, lone wolf, loner, maverick, nonconformer, nonconformist
    related: freethinker, character, codger, crackbrain, crackpot, crank, eccentric, freak, kook, nut, oddball, screwball, weirdo, eight ball, misfit, outsider, aberrant, anomaly
    opposite: conformer, conformist
    near: adherent, follower, supporter, sheep

Synonyms, Thesaurus & Another Word for Spirited

The most common words with a similar meaning to Spirited:

Slang: copped
fiery, gingery, high-spirited, mettlesome, peppery, spunky, active, airy, animate, animated, bouncing, brisk, energetic, frisky, gay, jaunty, jazzy, kinetic, lively, peppy, perky, pert, pizzazzy, racy, snappy, spanking, sparky, sprightly, springy, vital, vivacious, zippy, on the go, absconded (with), snatched, captured, crimped, impressed, seized, shanghaied

Antonyms & Opposite Words for Spirited

Words with the opposite meaning of Spirited:

halfhearted, leaden, spiritless, dead, inactive, inanimate, lackadaisical, languid, languishing, languorous, lifeless, limp, listless, vapid, delivered, ransomed, redeemed, rescued, restored, returned

Related Words for Spirited

aggressive, ambitious, assertive, high-pressure, in-your-face, militant, pushy, bouncy, feisty, scrappy, ardent, fervent, impassioned, passionate, emphatic, obtrusive, dapper, dashing, spiffy, agog, alert, awake, open-eyed, up, wide-awake, agile, nimble, spry, bright, buoyant

Near Antonyms of Spirited

bloodless, boring, dull, inert, lethargic, sleepy, sluggish, tired, torpid, low-pressure, nonassertive, unaggressive, unambitious, unassertive, unenterprising, indolent, lazy, weary, apathetic, impassive, phlegmatic, stolid, irksome, tedious

Word Forms of Spirited

Derived words: spiritedly (adverb), spiritedness (noun)

Origin & Etymology of Spirited

First known use: 1601

Words & Phrases Containing Spirited

high-spirited, low-spirited, mean-spirited, poor-spirited, public-spirited

Frequently Asked Questions about Spirited

What does "Spirited" mean?

"Spirited" means full of energy, animation, or courage. As an an adjective and a verb, it is defined as: full of energy, animation, or courage. It has 3 distinct senses.

What is another word for "Spirited"?

Other words for "Spirited" include fiery, gingery, high-spirited, mettlesome, peppery, spunky, active and airy. The best synonym depends on which meaning of "Spirited" you intend.

What are different ways to say "Spirited"?

There are 99 words and phrases with a similar meaning to "Spirited". Common alternatives include fiery, gingery, high-spirited, mettlesome, peppery, spunky, active, airy, animate and animated.

What is the opposite of "Spirited"?

Antonyms of "Spirited" include halfhearted, leaden, spiritless, dead, inactive, inanimate, lackadaisical and languid. Near antonyms include bloodless, boring, dull and inert.

How do you use "Spirited" in a sentence?

Examples of "Spirited" in a sentence: "the town meeting featured a spirited debate about the proposed ban on skateboarding in the plaza downtown"; "a team known for its spirited and in-your-face basketball".

Is "Spirited" a noun, verb, or adjective?

"Spirited" can be used as an adjective and a verb, depending on the context.

How do you pronounce "Spirited"?

"Spirited" is pronounced /ˈspir-ə-təd/ and divided into syllables as spir·it·ed.

What is the origin of the word "Spirited"?

First known use: 1601.