perky

Meanings

1. 1adjectivecomparableinformal

   Bright, lively, and upbeat in manner, often in a way that others notice at once.

   Grammar: It works before a noun or after a verb, and it has comparative forms: a perky smile, she seemed perkier today.

   Patterns

   • perky and something
   • look perky

   The receptionist gave us a perky greeting even at seven in the morning.

   After a good night's sleep, the puppy was perky and ready to play.

   His perky voice on the radio made the traffic report almost fun.

2. 2adjectivebefore a nouninformal

   Sticking up or held jauntily, rather than drooping.

   Grammar: Used mostly for body parts or plants: perky ears, perky leaves.

   The terrier's perky ears turned toward every sound.

   A watered plant looks perky again within an hour.

   She wore a hat with a perky little feather.

Word forms

Common combinations

perky smile

She flashed a perky smile at the camera.

perky voice

The host's perky voice carried the whole show.

perky ears

The rabbit's perky ears twitched at the noise.

feel perky

I finally feel perky after the coffee.

look perky

The flowers look perky after the rain.

Synonyms and how they differ

cheerful

Cheerful is a plain, warm word, while perky adds a note of bouncy energy that can feel slightly forced.

bubbly

Bubbly suggests friendly, talkative sparkle, whereas perky focuses on brisk upbeat energy.

chirpy

Chirpy is similar but a little more British and stresses a bright, talkative tone.

sprightly

Sprightly is used mostly for older people who are surprisingly nimble, which perky does not specifically imply.

Opposites

Word family

perkily adverb

in a lively, cheerful way

perkiness noun

the quality of being perky

perk up phrasal verb

to become livelier or more cheerful

perk verb

to lift or raise, as in perk the ears

Commonly confused: perky or peaky?

Practice

Make it your own

Write a sentence using “perky”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.

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