as in courage
the strength of mind that enables a person to endure pain or hardship
had the spunk to overcome a severe physical disability
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of spunk
Savannah Guthrie and her two siblings issued an emotional plea on Instagram for their mom's return, citing her spunk, her loving personality and her vulnerability.
—
Helen Rummel, AZCentral.com, 4 Feb. 2026
Animal-print chairs maintain a bit of spunk in the now bright, airy rooms, as do ornate dark wood bedside tables.
—Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 30 Jan. 2026
Each design also has its own energy and spunk!
—Ingrid Vasquez, PEOPLE, 15 Dec. 2025
Dallas’ defense showed some spunk, even factoring in the matchup against an offense that ranked 30th in the NFL coming into the game.
—Lawrence Dow, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 18 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for spunk
Helen Rummel, AZCentral.com, 4 Feb. 2026
Animal-print chairs maintain a bit of spunk in the now bright, airy rooms, as do ornate dark wood bedside tables.
—Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 30 Jan. 2026
Each design also has its own energy and spunk!
—Ingrid Vasquez, PEOPLE, 15 Dec. 2025
Dallas’ defense showed some spunk, even factoring in the matchup against an offense that ranked 30th in the NFL coming into the game.
—Lawrence Dow, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 18 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for spunk
Recent Examples of Synonyms for spunk
Noun
-
The courage to make those choices and keep moving forward is what has defined my journey.—
Noor Lobad,
Footwear News,
28 Apr. 2026
-
But when a mysterious aircraft sinks into the ocean, Ally’s peaceful world is suddenly thrown into danger and is thrust into a journey real-life marine creatures as the film explores themes of friendship and courage.—
Etan Vlessing,
HollywoodReporter,
28 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Pier 6 Seafood & Oyster House In San Leon, Pier 6 Seafood & Oyster House will offer a Mother’s Day menu alongside Chef Joe Cervantez’s weekend brunch dishes, including lobster Benedict, hot chicken doughnuts, shrimp and grits and cold seafood platters.—
Ana Khan,
Houston Chronicle,
3 May 2026
-
Unique is meant to embody that racial trauma, but Moore doesn’t possess the grit necessary to make the pain and sorrow resonate.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
1 May 2026
Noun
-
For Garcia, that sense of something built by instinct and fortitude is part of what makes the next chapter feel so charged.—
Michelle F. Solomon,
Miami Herald,
30 Apr. 2026
-
Like my predecessors, my life has been grounded in faith and fortitude.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
25 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
There’s bravery in how these artists are driven by conviction.—
Larisha Paul,
Rolling Stone,
2 May 2026
-
Passion isn’t practical, and bravery is required under the Scorpio full moon.—
USA TODAY,
USA Today,
1 May 2026
Noun
-
One had to marvel at Springsteen’s stamina.—
Orlando Sentinel Staff,
The Orlando Sentinel,
27 Apr. 2026
-
Any editor can tell you—visiting Milan for Salone del Mobile and all of its surrounding events is an exercise in stamina.—
The Editors of AD,
Architectural Digest,
22 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
That mix of stubbornness and courageousness is what endeared Snider to fans and peers alike.—
Joseph Hudak,
Rolling Stone,
15 Nov. 2025
Noun
-
Fossils from these most special locations not only show body outlines and external textures but also preserve details from appendages and internal organs, from eyes and gills to guts and nerve networks.—
Marlowe Starling,
Quanta Magazine,
1 May 2026
-
In a paper published on Thursday in Science, researchers describe how hydrogenobodies in rumen ciliates in the guts of dairy cows remove oxygen and produce hydrogen—which other microbes then use to make methane.—
Jackie Flynn Mogensen,
Scientific American,
30 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
But part of the reason is that even with our most precise and accurate measurements that lead to a determination of the gravitational constant, those various teams and methods haven’t converged on a single answer.—
Big Think,
Big Think,
6 May 2026
-
Dean was born in a small town in South Dakota, educated in a one-room schoolhouse, and through grit and determination built a small garbage business into Waste Management — a global company serving multiple continents with over $9 billion in revenue by his retirement.—
Chicago Tribune,
Chicago Tribune,
6 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Spunk.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/spunk. Accessed 8 May. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
