1
as in lively
having much high-spirited energy and movement
a pert girl who is a member of the cheerleading squad
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in cute
making light of something usually regarded as serious or sacred
a pert retort that irritated the teacher
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in spicy
sharp and pleasantly stimulating to the mind or senses
a pert suggestion for a truly original marketing campaign
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of pert
His left arm is akimbo and his right arm is raised, in a pert military salute, to his forehead.
—
Benjamin Moser, The New Yorker, 8 Oct. 2024
Sales were boosted by a national prime-time television ad campaign in which a disorganized young man bumps into a pert young woman at the library, knocking her Trapper to the floor.
—Emily Langer, Washington Post, 30 Aug. 2022
The airport is three miles away, and the central shopping and dining district is contained within a pert five-block grid.
—Travel + Leisure, 16 June 2022
Plenty sweet, to be sure, but certainly not cloying, and despite the grapes’ long hang time the flavors are perfectly fresh — pert and bright, as opposed to the stewy-fruit notes that often burden late-harvest wines.
—Senior Wine Critic, San Francisco Chronicle, 11 July 2019
See All Example Sentences for pert
Benjamin Moser, The New Yorker, 8 Oct. 2024
Sales were boosted by a national prime-time television ad campaign in which a disorganized young man bumps into a pert young woman at the library, knocking her Trapper to the floor.
—Emily Langer, Washington Post, 30 Aug. 2022
The airport is three miles away, and the central shopping and dining district is contained within a pert five-block grid.
—Travel + Leisure, 16 June 2022
Plenty sweet, to be sure, but certainly not cloying, and despite the grapes’ long hang time the flavors are perfectly fresh — pert and bright, as opposed to the stewy-fruit notes that often burden late-harvest wines.
—Senior Wine Critic, San Francisco Chronicle, 11 July 2019
See All Example Sentences for pert
Recent Examples of Synonyms for pert
Adjective
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Participants are able to create a schedule for themselves that supports more solo contemplative space or lively group experiences.—
Moira McCarthy,
Boston Herald,
29 Mar. 2026
-
South Elgin’s protest was just as lively.—
Gloria Casas,
Chicago Tribune,
29 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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Marvin’s a cute little mushroom living in a cozy home beneath a mighty cedar tree.—
Mary Ann Grossmann,
Twin Cities,
28 Mar. 2026
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Dry off and look cute at the same time with Katydid beach or gym towels.—
Tory Johnson,
ABC News,
28 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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Then there’s upscale Mexican restaurant El Molino, with its spicy twist on local Baja California cuisine, and Farina e Olio, an oceanfront Italian trattoria serving melt-in-your-mouth ravioli and life-altering desserts.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
31 Mar. 2026
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The red king, which is a spicy version of their pork broth ramen, was worth the years of anticipation.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
31 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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Those two youngsters happen to be a happily engaged, and happily naive, couple, and the series plays out exploring the dynamics between the two relationships, one young, loving and energetic, the other old, tired and toxic.—
Kelly Lawler,
USA Today,
30 Mar. 2026
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To support the flight, there has been a sharpening of space weather forecasting skills — an ability to better gauge the sun's activity and to help assure crew safety if a hazardous uptick in solar action rears its energetic head.—
Leonard David,
Space.com,
30 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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Conductors often fetishize the opening bars of this opera, their squirmy alternation of silence and piquant dissonance.—
Justin Davidson,
Vulture,
11 Mar. 2026
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Red cabbage, carrots and Tuscan kale form the base, bound together with a piquant balsamic-Dijon vinaigrette.—
Lynda Balslev,
Mercury News,
3 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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The popularity of the cards led to the creation of a toy line, which then spurred animated TV specials and, eventually, a TV series.—
Matt Grobar,
Deadline,
19 Mar. 2026
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The animated film about a teenager who becomes a beaver to save her animal friends from a freeway construction project pulled in $88 million globally, including $46 million in North America.—
G. Allen Johnson,
San Francisco Chronicle,
9 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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This comes with six shrimp and a zesty sauce.—
Susan Stapleton,
Des Moines Register,
20 Mar. 2026
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Or do as the French do–dip the Artichoke leaves into a zesty aioli and scrape the savory pulp with your teeth.—
Catharine Kaufman,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
20 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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The self is made of memories but can also shape them — an animate sculpture able to rework its own clay.—
Eric Boodman,
Vulture,
25 Mar. 2026
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The same traits—sloppy reasoning but a desire for collective punishment—animate other immigration-policy announcements.—
Idrees Kahloon,
The Atlantic,
18 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Pert.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pert. Accessed 2 Apr. 2026.
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