sparkier; sparkiest
: marked by animation : lively
sparky children
sparkily adverb

Examples of sparky in a Sentence

that sparky little kid tires me out just looking at him
Recent Examples on the Web Mellow wisps of cinnamon acquire the snappy, sparky heat of Red Hots. Helen Rosner, The New Yorker, 6 Aug. 2023 To be the dramatic focus of attention in a potentially sparky environment, like the old days. wsj.com, 4 May 2023 Mamie is as sparky and vibrant as her flaming red hair, the kind of Auntie Mame relative all of us crave. Priscilla Gilman, BostonGlobe.com, 9 Mar. 2023 The result is a sparky oral history and a tribute to the power of pop culture to spotlight tough problems; critics might have been lukewarm about its broad strokes, but 9 to 5 was the highest-grossing comedy of 1980, made a star of screen newbie Dolly Parton and spun off a TV series and a musical. Sheri Linden, The Hollywood Reporter, 13 Mar. 2022 If her beachy looks sometimes disguised her craft, that craft has always been there, as has her ethos, a sparky combination of spiky, dizzy and no-nonsense. Alexis Soloski, New York Times, 1 Nov. 2022 Among them was 23-year-old Rustlav, a boyish and sparky recent college graduate, whose last name has been withheld to protect his family unable to flee from Ukraine. Globe Staff, BostonGlobe.com, 23 Apr. 2022 He’s matched by a sullen but sparky Ella Dacres as his adolescent rival Alice. David Benedict, Variety, 8 Dec. 2021 This period-instrument band heralds its return to live performances with a sparky French Baroque program, featuring two tales of reunion in cantatas by Élisabeth Jacquet de La Guerre and Louis-Nicolas Clérambault. BostonGlobe.com, 30 Sep. 2021

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'sparky.' 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

circa 1865, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of sparky was circa 1865

Dictionary Entries Near sparky

Cite this Entry

“Sparky.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/sparky. Accessed 29 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

sparky

adjective
sparkier; sparkiest
: being lively and active
sparky children
sparkily adverb

More from Merriam-Webster on sparky

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