SPRIGHTLINESS

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

 Dictionary entry overview: What does sprightliness mean? 

• SPRIGHTLINESS (noun)
  The noun SPRIGHTLINESS has 1 sense:

1. animation and energy in action or expression

  Familiarity information: SPRIGHTLINESS used as a noun is very rare.

 Dictionary entry details 

• SPRIGHTLINESS (noun)

Sense 1

Meaning:

Animation and energy in action or expression

Classified under:

Nouns denoting attributes of people and objects

Synonyms:

life; liveliness; spirit; sprightliness

Context example:

it was a heavy play and the actors tried in vain to give life to it

Hypernyms ("sprightliness" is a kind of...):

animation; brio; invigoration; spiritedness; vivification (quality of being active or spirited or alive and vigorous)

Attribute:

lively (full of life and energy)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "sprightliness"):

pertness (quality of being lively and confident)

airiness; delicacy (lightness in movement or manner)

alacrity; briskness; smartness (liveliness and eagerness)

energy; muscularity; vigor; vigour; vim (an imaginative lively style (especially style of writing))

elan (enthusiastic and assured vigor and liveliness)

esprit (liveliness of mind or spirit)

breeziness; jauntiness (a breezy liveliness)

buoyancy; irrepressibility (irrepressible liveliness and good spirit)

high-spiritedness (exuberant liveliness)

ebullience; enthusiasm; exuberance (overflowing with eager enjoyment or approval)

ginger; pep; peppiness (liveliness and energy)

Derivation:

sprightly (full of spirit and vitality)

 Context examples 

“Nothing's the matter, bless you, Master Davy dear!” she answered, assuming an air of sprightliness.

(David Copperfield, by Charles Dickens)

But he was very tentative, fastidiously so, letting Ruth set the pace of sprightliness and fancy, keeping up with her but never daring to go beyond her.

(Martin Eden, by Jack London)