What does "sprightly" mean?
Animated, gay, or vivacious; lively, spirited.
Sprightly
/ˈspɹaɪtli/ adj, adv
adj, adv ·Common ·High school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: Animated, gay, or vivacious; lively, spirited.
- Grammar: sprightly is listed as adj, adv.
- Nearest alternatives: active, activist, activistic, agile.
- Useful contrasts: careworn, dour, dull.
- Usage evidence: This old guy is still sprightly.
How to use "sprightly"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "sprightly" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "sprightly" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "sprightly" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "sprightly" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "sprightly" is acting as adj, adv in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "active" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "sprightly", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Adjective
- 1 Animated, gay, or vivacious; lively, spirited.
"Next vnto lumpish Saturn, sprightlie Iove / Moves in his orbe."
- 2 Of a person: full of life and vigour, especially with a light and springy step.
"Shall our example ſloth create, / And make our Sons degenerate? / Our ſprightly youth uſeleſs in War become, / And ſleep in peace and ſlavery at home."
- 3 Of a person: full of life and vigour, especially with a light and springy step.; Especially of an older person: energetic and in good health; spry.
- 4 Of or relating to a sprite; ghostly, spectral. obsolete, rare
"[…] As I ſlept, me thought / Great Iupiter vpon his Eagle back'd / Appear'd to me, with other ſprightly ſhewes / Of mine owne Kindred."
Adjective
- 1 full of spirit and vitality wordnet
Adverb
- 1 In a lively and vigorous way; sprightlily.
Example
"This old guy is still sprightly."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "sprightly"?
Common synonyms include: active, activist, activistic, agile, airy, alert.
How do you use "sprightly" in a sentence?
This old guy is still sprightly.
How do you pronounce "sprightly"?
Pronounced /ˈspɹaɪtli/.
Etymology
Etymology 1
From spright + -ly (suffix forming adjectives with the sense ‘behaving like, having the nature of’). Spright is an obsolete variant of sprite (“a shade, spirit; elf, fairy, goblin; apparition, ghost”), from Middle English sprit (“principle of life; soul, especially at the point of death; immaterial being (angel, demon, apparition, ghost, etc.); divine inspiration; Holy Spirit; the mind, intellect, reason; mental faculties, senses; power of prophecy; character, disposition; courage, resolution; mood, state of mind; human will; breath; (alchemy) volatile substance”) [and other forms], from Anglo-Norman esprite, esprit and Middle French esprit, variants of Anglo-Norman, Middle French, Old French espirit, esperit (“spirit”), from Latin spīritus (“air; breath; breathing; ghost, spirit”), from spīrō (“to breathe; to breathe out, exhale”) (from Proto-Indo-European *(s)peys- (“to blow; to breathe”)) + -tus (“suffix forming verbal nouns from verbs”).
Etymology 2
From spright + -ly (suffix forming adverbs from adjectives).; see further at etymology 1.