Meanings
comparative feistier · comparative more feisty · superlative feistiest · superlative most feisty
- Belligerent; prepared to stand and fight, especially in spite of relatively small stature or some other disadvantage.
small but feisty
1 more example
The feisty wife of a world-renowned Russian sculptor emasculated an armed thug outside her Soho home — saying he “didn’t have the cojones to shoot her,” police sources said yesterday.
2013 July 10, Daniel Prendergast, “‘You don’t have the cojones’: 54-year-old woman fronts up to would-be muggers who pointed gun at her chest”, in New York Post, archived from the original on 02 Aug 2016
Synonyms & antonyms
adjectiveEasily offended and ready to bicker.
More synonyms by meaning
adjectivequick to take offense
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
First use appears c. 1875 in the US. From feist (“a 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.
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Czech houževnatý, energický
- houževnatýtenacious
- energickýtenacious
- ráznýtenacious
- útočnýbelligerent
- agresivníbelligerent
- bojovnýbelligerent
- kurážnýbelligerent
- smělýbelligerent
- svárlivýeasily offended
- hašteřivýeasily offended
Dutch hardnekkig, strijdlustig
- hardnekkigtenacious
- strijdlustigbelligerent
- strijdbaarbelligerent
- vechtlustigbelligerent
- lichtgeraakteasily offended
Finnish ärhäkkä, kipakka
- ärhäkkätenacious
- kipakkatenacious
- ärhäkkäbelligerent
- herkkänahkaineneasily offended
- ärhäkkäeasily offended
French tenace, agressif
- tenacetenacious
- agressifbelligerent
German zäh, hartnäckig
- zähtenacious
- hartnäckigtenacious
- lebhafttenacious
- temperamentvolltenacious
- muntertenacious
- quirligtenacious
- beherzttenacious
- lebendigtenacious
- mutigtenacious
- resoluttenacious
- streitsüchtigbelligerent
- kampflustigbelligerent
Greek δυναμικός, ενεργητικός
- δυναμικός (dynamikós)tenacious
- ενεργητικός (energitikós)tenacious
- επίμονος (epímonos)tenacious
- μαχητικός (machitikós)belligerent
- επιθετικός (epithetikós)easily offended
- εριστικός (eristikós)easily offended
Hungarian heves, tüzes
- hevestenacious
- tüzestenacious
- eleventenacious
- élénktenacious
- energikustenacious
- harciasbelligerent
- sértődékenyeasily offended
Italian tenace, tosto
- tenacetenacious
- tostotenacious
- combattivobelligerent
Māori hōriri, whitawhita
- hōriritenacious
- whitawhitatenacious
- whakatumabelligerent
Polish z ikrą, pociągający
- z ikrątenacious
- pociągającytenacious
- zadziornybelligerent
- narwanybelligerent
- porywczybelligerent
- kłótliwyeasily offended
- swarliwyeasily offended
Portuguese tenaz, obstinado
- tenaztenacious
- obstinadotenacious
- perseverantetenacious
- invocadobelligerent
- brigãobelligerent
- briguentobelligerent
- melindrosoeasily offended
Romanian tenace
- tenacetenacious
Russian напо́ристый, вздо́рный
- напо́ристый (napóristyj)tenacious
- вздо́рный (vzdórnyj)belligerent
Spanish tenaz, agresivo
- tenaztenacious
- agresivobelligerent
Swedish ettrig, stridslysten
- ettrigtenacious
- stridslystenbelligerent
- stridbarbelligerent
Thai ซ่า
- ซ่า (sâa)belligerent
Vietnamese đanh đá
- đanh đáeasily offended
Cite this entry
feisty. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/feisty
“feisty.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/feisty. Accessed November 3, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “feisty,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/feisty.
Source: feisty on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.