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”).

Antonyms

lifeless dull melancholy sombre sluggish enervated

Related words

light beautiful dark stupid slow sad wonderful knowing

Rhymes for sprightly

nightly lightly tightly rightly slightly brightly unsightly

See all rhymes for sprightly →

Frequently asked questions

What is the meaning of sprightly?

"sprightly" (adj) means full of energy and cheerfulness; lively.

What is the opposite of sprightly?

Opposites of "sprightly" include lifeless, dull, melancholy, sombre, sluggish, enervated.

What are the different meanings of sprightly?

"sprightly" has 3 main meanings: 1. Full of energy and cheerfulness; lively; 2. Describes a person who is energetic and moves with a light, bouncy step; 3. Describes an older person who is still active, healthy and full of energy.

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light beautiful dark stupid slow sad wonderful knowing