as in brave
informal
having or showing a lot of courage or determination
A plucky young man who never gave up on his dream.
Related Words
Relevance
Dissimilar Words
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 plucky
Serve this plucky spritz to a crowd of pals.
—
Scott Hocker, TheWeek, 20 Mar. 2026
That 2019 horror comedy starred Samara Weaving as plucky Grace, marrying into old money because of love.
—Michael Ordoña, San Francisco Chronicle, 18 Mar. 2026
This book gives a fictionalized account of how a plucky young boy brought that iconic tradition into existence during the 1930s.
—Libby Monteith Minor, Southern Living, 15 Mar. 2026
And though the devastation wrought by last year’s fire was unprecedented in its scale, the Schneiders remain optimistic about the future of their beloved enclave and its plucky local paper.
—Clara Harter, Los Angeles Times, 7 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for plucky
Scott Hocker, TheWeek, 20 Mar. 2026
That 2019 horror comedy starred Samara Weaving as plucky Grace, marrying into old money because of love.
—Michael Ordoña, San Francisco Chronicle, 18 Mar. 2026
This book gives a fictionalized account of how a plucky young boy brought that iconic tradition into existence during the 1930s.
—Libby Monteith Minor, Southern Living, 15 Mar. 2026
And though the devastation wrought by last year’s fire was unprecedented in its scale, the Schneiders remain optimistic about the future of their beloved enclave and its plucky local paper.
—Clara Harter, Los Angeles Times, 7 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for plucky
Recent Examples of Synonyms for plucky
Adjective
-
This brave warrior was behind enemy lines in the treacherous mountains of Iran, being hunted down by our enemies who were getting closer and closer by the hour.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
5 Apr. 2026
-
Enter, a disruptor, bridging the Heat into this brave, new NBA world of the 2020s.—
Ira Winderman,
Sun Sentinel,
4 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
Help keep the center courageous.—
Amanda Castro,
MSNBC Newsweek,
1 Apr. 2026
-
Mahajan remains contagiously courageous and (narratively) humble.—
Sibani Ram,
Los Angeles Times,
23 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
Until the lava of the bird’s stomach melts her valiant resins, dissolves her nomadic strength, and transforms her into a viscous secretion.—
María Ospina,
The Dial,
31 Mar. 2026
-
Jaden McDaniels, who had 25 points and valiant defense on Rockets star Kevin Durant all night, started hobbling down the stretch of the fourth quarter and had to be pulled.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
26 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
In Aries – the zodiac’s fearless trailblazer — the sun burns hotter and brighter.—
Valerie Mesa,
PEOPLE,
3 Apr. 2026
-
While women pirates weren’t exactly a dime a dozen even during the height of piracy, there were a surprising number of fearless females who plied the seven seas.—
Encyclopedia Britannica,
Encyclopedia Britannica,
2 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
The Santa Monica Pier was temporarily evacuated on Saturday afternoon as police investigated what was determined to be a non-credible bomb threat.—
Dean Fioresi,
CBS News,
5 Apr. 2026
-
The determined plant can grow in many conditions, including sun or shade and wet or dry soil, displacing native species, disrupting local ecosystems, and even degrading riverbanks.—
SJ McShane,
Martha Stewart,
5 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
And Texas made a gallant comeback to tie the game at 77-77 when Pope coolly sank three consecutive free throws after getting fouled behind the arc with 3.8 seconds remaining.—
Kirk Bohls,
Houston Chronicle,
8 Mar. 2026
-
More significant and symbolic than an ultimately gallant failure in Mumbai was the moment Harry Brook effectively dropped the World Cup with the last mistake of what has been the most turbulent period of his meteoric rise to become one of the best batters in the world.—
Paul Newman,
New York Times,
5 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
The display showed, on the left, the face of a gray-haired man with a resolute expression, his neck vanishing into a white collar and dark suit.—
Simon Akam,
Vanity Fair,
2 Apr. 2026
-
Whichever team is more resolute in executing its game plan will likely move on to the Final Four.—
Christian Babcock,
Mercury News,
28 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
However, the constant barrage of stories that focus only on wrongdoing within our law enforcement agencies, when left completely unchecked by ones that celebrate the many valuable (and, in some cases, heroic) contributions, serve only to unfairly fan the flames of distrust and vitriol.—
Craig MacLellan,
Boston Herald,
3 Apr. 2026
-
The Lumas star children are obsessed with the stories of the heroic plumber brothers.—
Lindsey Bahr,
Chicago Tribune,
2 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Plucky.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/plucky. Accessed 6 Apr. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
