pluckier; pluckiest
pluckily adverb
pluckiness noun

Examples of plucky in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web Where to watch: The CW, Amazon Prime Sanditon Based on Jane Austen’s final unfinished novel of the same name, Sanditon has all the author’s requisite traits: a plucky heroine, a bevy of handsome suitors, and plenty of Regency-era drama. Cady Lang, TIME, 16 May 2024 Elon Musk’s company, which went from plucky startup to the dominant force in commercial space transport, showed diagrams of its two spaceship types, the Dragon and much larger Starship, also noting four possible missions. Michael Verdon, Robb Report, 15 May 2024 Not the plucky one, not the laidback dream girl, and especially not the sweetheart. Rasputin Todd, The Enquirer, 10 May 2024 Despite the occasional hoot or holler in the audience, a hush crept over the amphitheater as Young sang, played plucky guitar and showcased his harmonica skills between verses. Audrey Gibbs, USA TODAY, 10 May 2024 These Warriors — four-time champions who have lost one Western Conference playoff series in a decade, will somehow go into this postseason playing the role of a plucky underdog. Dieter Kurtenbach, The Mercury News, 10 Apr. 2024 At others, Maxine is the plucky underdog who is kinder and more empathetic than all of the other characters combined. Alan Sepinwall, Rolling Stone, 19 Mar. 2024 What evidence is there to suggest the Wildcats possess the game and the gumption required to fend off plucky Long Beach State on Thursday in Salt Lake City, then repel Nevada or Dayton in the second round? Jon Wilner, The Mercury News, 19 Mar. 2024 The Good, the Bad and the Ugly — one of our characters is a plucky optimistic vault-dweller [played by Ella Purnell,] who strives into the world to win the hearts of minds of whoever is alive. James Hibberd, The Hollywood Reporter, 3 Apr. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'plucky.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1840, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of plucky was in 1840

Dictionary Entries Near plucky

Cite this Entry

“Plucky.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/plucky. Accessed 28 May. 2024.

Kids Definition

plucky

adjective
pluckier; pluckiest

More from Merriam-Webster on plucky

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