spunk
/spʌɳk/
Học thuậtThân thiện
Definition
- Noun:
- Courage, determination, or spirit: "Spunk" refers to a quality of being brave, determined, and full of energy, especially in a difficult situation.
- Tinder; material used to start a fire: In a more archaic or dialectal sense, "spunk" can refer to a piece of easily flammable material used to ignite a fire.
Usage
- As a noun, "spunk" is primarily used informally to describe a person's spirited courage. The fire-starting meaning is less common in modern general English.
Examples
- Noun (Courage/Spirit):
- She showed real spunk by standing up to the bully.
- You have to admire the spunk of the young entrepreneur who started her business with nothing.
- Noun (Fire-starting material):
- The old scout used dry moss as spunk to get the campfire going.
Advanced Usage
- "To have spunk": To possess courage and a lively, determined spirit.
- The candidate might be young, but she has a lot of spunk.
- "A bit of spunk": A small but noticeable amount of courage or feistiness.
- His answer had a bit of spunk, which surprised the interview panel.
Variants and Related Words
- Spunky (adj): Having or showing courage, spirit, or determination.
- She's a spunky little kid who isn't afraid of anything.
Synonyms
- Courage: The ability to do something that frightens one.
- Grit: Courage and resolve; strength of character.
- Mettle: A person's ability to cope well with difficulties; spirit and resilience.
- Pluck: Spirited and determined courage.
Antonyms
- Cowardice: Lack of bravery.
- Timidity: Lack of courage or confidence.
Notes
- The use of "spunk" to mean courage is informal but generally positive. The fire-starting meaning is now considered regional or dated.
Noun
- the courage to carry on
- he kept fighting on pure spunk
- you haven't got the heart for baseball
- material for starting a fire