plucky

adjective

ˈplə-kē How to pronounce plucky (audio)
pluckier; pluckiest
Synonyms of pluckynext
: spirited, brave
pluckily
ˈplə-kə-lē How to pronounce plucky (audio)
adverb
pluckiness
ˈplə-kē-nəs How to pronounce plucky (audio)
noun

Examples of plucky in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
It’s been a decent summer so far for plucky British gumshoes. — Tomris Laffly, Variety, 30 June 2026 Later, just a stone’s throw away, a dancer in a fiery red blouse shimmies onstage, matching the rhythm of a plucky tune in Spanish. — Cameron Pugh, Christian Science Monitor, 24 June 2026 In my line of work, there are few things as inauspicious as a plucky gal determined to make the best of a bad situation. — Raven Brunner, PEOPLE, 30 June 2026 This legume-centric take on chicken Marbella combines prunes, capers and almonds with a plucky vinaigrette of red wine vinegar, maple syrup and Dijon mustard. — Scott Hocker, TheWeek, 29 June 2026 See All Example Sentences for plucky

Word History

First Known Use

1840, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of plucky was in 1840

Rhymes for plucky

See All Rhymes for plucky

Browse Nearby Words

pluck up (the) courage
plucky
pluff
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Plucky.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/plucky. Accessed 7 Jul. 2026.

Copy Citation

Kids Definition

plucky

adjective
ˈplək-ē How to pronounce plucky (audio)
pluckier; pluckiest
: courageous, brave

More from Merriam-Webster on plucky

Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for plucky

Nglish: Translation of plucky for Spanish Speakers

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?

Commonly Misspelled Words

How to Use Em Dashes (—), En Dashes (–) , and Hyphens (-)
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Longest Long Words List

One-Word Oxymorons: Bittersweet, Spendthrift, and More

Ten Words Ending with a Silent ‘T’

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Longest Long Words List
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
hangman letters and game
Hangman Lightning Round Figure out which word fits in the blanks.
See All