feistiness

noun

as in aggression
an inclination to fight or quarrel a panel of political pundits with a well-earned reputation for unfettered feistiness

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

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.
Recent Examples of feistiness Many of Paraguay’s transgressions could have ended in yellow cards, but did not and towards the end, France brought their own feistiness to the fore. — Anantaajith Raghuraman, New York Times, 5 July 2026 Mangiapane’s feistiness is something the group can learn from, now that the 29-year-old is suddenly a veteran in the locker room. — Kalen Lumpkins, Chicago Tribune, 14 Mar. 2026 Simeone will have to find ways to replace De Paul’s feistiness in midfield, Lino’s strong wing play, and Correa’s tenacity off the bench. — Vitas Carosella, Forbes.com, 12 Aug. 2025 Council, a 6-foot-4, 180-pound, 24-year-old native of Rochester, New York, showed some of that feistiness during the recent Pacers’ workout. — Gary Bedore, Kansas City Star, 10 June 2026 Drescher brought greater visibility and idiosyncratic feistiness to SAG-AFTRA, but can that momentum be sustained? — Katie Kilkenny, HollywoodReporter, 20 Aug. 2025 Thanks to the care from the hospital staff at Carne Foundation and her own feistiness, Sienna Bobbie Crocker now weighs seven pounds, 12 ½ ounces and last Monday, 43 days after her birthday, the family brought her home. — Dana O’Neil, CNN Money, 3 Apr. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for feistiness
  1. aggression
  2. aggressiveness
  3. defiance
  4. hostility
  5. pugnacity
Noun
  • Hello to a new era The relationship was characterized by passive aggression, cryptic tweets and small slights that added up to a big, if not inevitable, breakup.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 7 July 2026
  • Ukraine and its neighbors are increasingly skeptical that the US will come to their aid in the face of Russian aggression, and are taking precautions accordingly.
    — Prashant Rao, semafor.com, 6 July 2026
Definition of aggression
Noun
  • Dillon Thieneman’s speed Since draft night in April, Thieneman has been lauded for his combination of speed, instincts and aggressiveness.
    — Dan Wiederer, New York Times, 24 June 2026
  • This is a lineup structured to thrive with a small-ball approach — high batting average, chaos and aggressiveness on the basepaths, and manufacturing runs.
    — Jordan McPherson, Miami Herald, 18 June 2026
Definition of aggressiveness
Noun
  • Additionally, occasional rule-breaking and defiance are considered a normal part of child and adolescent development.
    — Elizabeth Dowdell, The Conversation, 6 July 2026
  • The funeral was also used to project defiance, with thousands of mourners filling Tehran and chanting for revenge.
    — Mohammed Sergie, semafor.com, 6 July 2026
Definition of defiance
Noun
  • The Art, Not Science, of Leadership Ultimately, the hostility toward dual-class shares reflects a broader cultural shift in how many good governance advocates view corporate leadership.
    — Jeffrey Sonnenfeld, Fortune, 6 July 2026
  • Because that opposition is motivated in part by hostility to artificial intelligence.
    — The Week US, TheWeek, 6 July 2026
Definition of hostility
Noun
  • But all of that is in addition to his defense, his rebounding, his slashing, his voice, his pugnacity.
    — Marcus Thompson II, New York Times, 22 May 2026
  • Trump had won by fifty-three points there in 2016, and Greene’s paranoid pugnacity seemed like a good fit, if voters could stomach an outsider.
    — Charles Bethea, New Yorker, 5 Jan. 2026
Definition of pugnacity

Browse Nearby Words

feints
feistiness
feisty
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Cite this Entry

“Feistiness.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/feistiness. Accessed 8 Jul. 2026.

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