Definitions
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.
- adjective Full of spirit and vitality; lively; brisk.
- adverb In a lively, animated manner.
from The Century Dictionary.
- In a sprightly manner; with vigor, liveliness, or gaiety.
- Having a lively, distinctive taste; not palling.
- Of or pertaining to a sprite or spirit; ghostly; spectral; incorporeal.
- Full of spirit or vigor; brisk; lively; vivacious; animated; spirited; gay.
- Synonyms See
animation .
from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.
- adjective Sprightlike, or spiritlike; lively; brisk; animated; vigorous; airy; gay
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.
- adjective
animated ,vivacious , orgay ;lively - adjective full of life and
vigor , especially with a light andspringy step - adjective energetic and in good health
- adverb In a
lively andvigorous way
from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.
- adjective full of spirit and vitality
Etymologies
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License
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Examples
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By this time I had my black wardrobe more or less together, and had learned not to say, “Well, hi there!” in sprightly tones.
margaret atwood | waterstone’s poetry lecture « poetry dispatch & other notes from the underground 2007
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It was all "sprightly" -- that was Murray's tone -- but also it was cordial; and it referred to Thyrsis 'earlier novel, "The Hearer of Truth", as "that brilliant piece of work".
Love's Pilgrimage Upton Sinclair 1923
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The letters contain many particulars of her life, together with many anecdotes hitherto unknown or forgotten, told with a saucy vivacity which is charming, and an air vividly recalling the sprightly, arch demeanour, and black, sparkling eyes of the fair Queen of Navarre.
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To frame a system which shall suit the condition of our country and the genius of its government, which shall develop the faculties of the mind and improve the good dispositions of the heart; which shall embrace in its views the rich and the poor, the dull and the sprightly is a work of great magnitude and requires details to give it efficacy, which the little time allowed to your committee
The Beginnings of Public Education in North Carolina; A Documentary History, 1790-1840. Vol. I Charles Lee 1908
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The letters contain many particulars of her life, together with many anecdotes hitherto unknown or forgotten, told with a saucy vivacity which is charming, and an air vividly recalling the sprightly, arch demeanour, and black, sparkling eyes of the fair Queen of Navarre.
Memoirs of Marguerite de Valois — Complete [Court memoir series] Queen Marguerite 1584
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The letters contain many particulars of her life, together with many anecdotes hitherto unknown or forgotten, told with a saucy vivacity which is charming, and an air vividly recalling the sprightly, arch demeanour, and black, sparkling eyes of the fair Queen of Navarre.
Memoirs of Marguerite de Valois — Volume 1 [Court memoir series] Queen Marguerite 1584
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Peter Manso: erm, I was using "sprightly" as a compliment - as in, "energetic" etc.
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To call Capote's profile of Brando "sprightly" is not too bright; if anything, this is the best single short piece of its kind, plus which Capote performed the near-impossible -- he got the normally guarded Brando to open up.
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Known for her "sprightly" comedies, Centlivre published a total of 19 plays in her lifetime, including The Busy Body (1709) and The
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Small but vital: She hasn't thrown a shoe at me yet for calling her "sprightly," but maybe she should.
Archive 2008-12-01 2008
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