feisty

Englisch

Etymology

1896, American, feist (“small, aggressive dog”) +‎ -y; the term feist (now rare) itself originally meant “stink”, and earlier “fart”, from Middle English, from Old English, from Proto-Germanic, presumably from Proto-Indo-European – see feist for details.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈfaɪsti/

• Audio (Southern England):

  (file)

• Rhymes: -aɪsti

Adjective

feisty (comparative feistier or more feisty, superlative feistiest or most feisty)

1. Tenacious, energetic, spunky.
2. Belligerent; prepared to stand and fight, especially in spite of relatively small stature or some other disadvantage.
3. Easily offended and ready to bicker.

Derived terms

• feistily
• feistiness

Translations

tenacious

• Czech: houževnatý
• Dutch: hardnekkig (nl)
• Finnish: ärhäkkä, kipakka (fi)
• French: tenace (fr)
• Georgian: შეუპოვარი (šeuṗovari), უდრეკი (udreḳi), ჯიუტი (ǯiuṭi), მტკიცე (mṭḳice), გამძლე (gamʒle)
• German: zäh (de), hartnäckig (de), lebhaft (de), temperamentvoll (de), munter (de), quirlig (de), beherzt (de), lebendig (de), mutig (de), resolut (de)
• Greek: δυναμικός (el) (dynamikós), ενεργητικός (el) (energitikós), επίμονος (el) (epímonos)
• Hungarian: heves (hu), tüzes (hu), eleven (hu), élénk (hu), energikus (hu)
• Italian: tenace (it), tosto (it)
• Romanian: tenace (ro)
• Russian: напо́ристый (ru) (napóristyj)
• Spanish: tenaz (es)
• Swedish: ettrig (sv)

belligerent

• Bikol Central: uragon
• Czech: útočný (cs), agresivní (cs), bojovný (cs), kurážný, smělý (cs)
• Dutch: strijdlustig (nl), strijdbaar (nl), vechtlustig (nl)
• Finnish: ärhäkkä
• French: agressif (fr)
• Georgian: ფიცხი (picxi)
• German: streitsüchtig (de), kampflustig, streitbar (de), übellaunig (de), angriffslustig (de), resolut (de)
• Greek: μαχητικός (el) (machitikós)
• Hungarian: harcias (hu)
• Italian: combattivo (it)
• Russian: вздо́рный (ru) (vzdórnyj)
• Spanish: agresivo (es)
• Swedish: stridslysten (sv), stridbar (sv)

easily offended

• Czech: svárlivý, hašteřivý
• Dutch: lichtgeraakt (nl)
• Finnish: herkkänahkainen, ärhäkkä
• Georgian: ფხუკიანი (pxuḳiani), ჭირვეული (č̣irveuli)
• German: empfindlich (de), reizbar (de), überlaunig, streitsüchtig (de), verletzlich (de)
• Greek: επιθετικός (el) (epithetikós), εριστικός (el) (eristikós)
• Hungarian: sértődékeny (hu)
• Portuguese: melindroso (pt)