Sprightly — Meaning, Definition & Synonyms

adjective adverb /ˈsprīt-lē/ spright·ly

Meaning & Definition of Sprightly

Sprightly (adjective)

  1. full of life and vivacity, spirited
  2. having a distinctively piquant taste, zesty

Sprightly (adjective) — Senses, Synonyms & Antonyms

  1. having much high-spirited energy and movement

    "a sprightly child who often claims to be too tired to move when it's time to do chores"

    similar: active, airy, animate, animated, bouncing, brisk, energetic, frisky, gay, jaunty, jazzy, kinetic, lively, mettlesome, peppy, perky, pert, pizzazzy, racy, snappy, spanking, sparky, spirited, 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

Sprightly (adverb) — Senses, Synonyms & Antonyms

  1. in a quick and spirited manner

    "every morning the elderly couple sprightly sets out on a walk"

    similar: airily, animatedly, animately, bouncily, buoyantly, gaily, high-spiritedly, livelily, lively, perkily, pertly, snappily, sparkily, spiritedly, trippingly, vivaciously
    related: friskily, gamesomely, playfully, skittishly, sportively, briskly, crisply, effervescently, energetically, jazzily, racily, springily, breezily, cockily, dapperly, dashingly, jauntily, agilely, nimbly, spryly, allegro
    opposite: dully, inanimately, sluggishly, tardily
    near: halfheartedly, idly, indolently, lazily, lethargically, slothfully, heavily, inactively, listlessly, tiredly, wearily

Synonyms, Thesaurus & Another Word for Sprightly

The most common words with a similar meaning to Sprightly:

active, airy, animate, animated, bouncing, brisk, energetic, frisky, gay, jaunty, jazzy, kinetic, lively, mettlesome, peppy, perky, pert, pizzazzy, racy, snappy, spanking, sparky, spirited, springy, vital, vivacious, zippy, on the go, airily, animatedly, animately, bouncily, buoyantly, gaily, high-spiritedly, livelily, perkily, pertly, snappily, sparkily

Antonyms & Opposite Words for Sprightly

Words with the opposite meaning of Sprightly:

dead, inactive, inanimate, lackadaisical, languid, languishing, languorous, leaden, lifeless, limp, listless, spiritless, vapid, dully, inanimately, sluggishly, tardily

Related Words for Sprightly

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

Near Antonyms of Sprightly

indolent, lazy, unambitious, inert, lethargic, sleepy, sluggish, tired, torpid, weary, apathetic, impassive, phlegmatic, stolid, boring, dull, irksome, tedious, halfheartedly, idly, indolently, lazily, lethargically, slothfully, heavily, inactively, listlessly, tiredly, wearily

Word Forms of Sprightly

Inflections: sprightlier, sprightliest

Derived words: sprightliness (noun), sprightly (adverb)

Origin & Etymology of Sprightly

obsolete spright (sprite), alteration of sprite

First known use: 1592

Frequently Asked Questions about Sprightly

What does "Sprightly" mean?

"Sprightly" means full of life and vivacity, spirited. As an an adjective and an adverb, it is defined as: full of life and vivacity, spirited. It has 2 distinct senses.

What is another word for "Sprightly"?

Other words for "Sprightly" include active, airy, animate, animated, bouncing, brisk, energetic and frisky. The best synonym depends on which meaning of "Sprightly" you intend.

What are different ways to say "Sprightly"?

There are 100 words and phrases with a similar meaning to "Sprightly". Common alternatives include active, airy, animate, animated, bouncing, brisk, energetic, frisky, gay and jaunty.

What is the opposite of "Sprightly"?

Antonyms of "Sprightly" include dead, inactive, inanimate, lackadaisical, languid, languishing, languorous and leaden. Near antonyms include indolent, lazy, unambitious and inert.

How do you use "Sprightly" in a sentence?

Examples of "Sprightly" in a sentence: "a sprightly child who often claims to be too tired to move when it's time to do chores"; "every morning the elderly couple sprightly sets out on a walk".

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

"Sprightly" can be used as an adjective and an adverb, depending on the context.

How do you pronounce "Sprightly"?

"Sprightly" is pronounced /ˈsprīt-lē/ and divided into syllables as spright·ly.

What is the origin of the word "Sprightly"?

"Sprightly" comes from obsolete spright (sprite), alteration of sprite. First known use: 1592.