Meaning & use
brisk
Last updated
Meanings
adjectivecomparable
Quick, energetic, and active; showing lively movement or speed.
Grammar: Gradable: you can say a brisk walk, a brisker pace, the briskest pace.
Patterns
- a brisk walk
- at a brisk pace
- brisk trade
We went for a brisk walk before breakfast.
She spoke in a brisk, efficient manner.
Sales were brisk during the holiday season.
adjectivecomparable
(Of weather) cold and fresh, often with a wind that makes you feel awake.
Grammar: Usually describes air, wind, or weather: a brisk morning, brisk winds.
Patterns
- a brisk morning
- brisk wind
It was a brisk autumn morning, so we wore warm coats.
The brisk wind made our cheeks turn red.
Word forms
| comparative | brisker |
|---|---|
| superlative | briskest |
Common combinations
- brisk walk
- A brisk walk can help you wake up in the morning.
- brisk pace
- The runners set off at a brisk pace.
- brisk trade
- The shop did a brisk trade in winter coats.
- brisk wind
- A brisk wind blew across the field.
- brisk business
- The café does brisk business on weekends.
Synonyms and how they differ
- lively
- Lively suggests cheerful energy; brisk emphasizes speed and efficiency.
- quick
- Quick simply means fast; brisk adds a sense of energetic, pleasant speed.
- fresh
- Fresh is used for cool, clean air; brisk suggests cold and invigorating weather.
Opposites
Word family
- briskly adverb
- In a quick and energetic way.
- briskness noun
- The quality of being quick and energetic.
Commonly confused: brisk or brusque?
brisk vs brusque
Brusque means rude or abrupt in speech; brisk means quick and energetic, not rude.
Practice
Which sentence uses 'brisk' correctly?
Choose one answer.
'Brisk' describes quick, energetic movement, so 'a brisk walk' is correct. The other options do not fit the meaning of brisk.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “brisk”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.