# feisty

> English word · Adjective · IPA /ˈfaɪsti/ · frequency rank #26,423

## Definitions
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.

## 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.

## Easily confused with
- **fist** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/feisty-vs-fist)
- **fest** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/feisty-vs-fest)
- **fifty** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/feisty-vs-fifty)
- **fists** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/feisty-vs-fists)
- **fishy** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/feisty-vs-fishy)
- **frosty** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/feisty-vs-frosty)
- **flirty** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/feisty-vs-flirty)
- **frisky** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/feisty-vs-frisky)
- **feast** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/feast-vs-feisty)
- **fealty** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/fealty-vs-feisty)

## Common misspellings (9)
`efisty`, `feissty`, `feistty`, `feistyy`, `feisyt`, `feitsy`, `fesity`, `ffeisty`, `fiesty`

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/feisty