spunkiness

1 5.5

Being lively and brave with cheerful energy

noun
/ˈspʌŋkiˌnəs/

Informal

: valentía

Chigurh/Death is so startled (based on past experience and present circumstances, I presume) and possibly impressed by her spunkiness and her unwillingness to gamble with her life that he lets her live.

Examples

Her spunkiness made her stand out in every team project.
The child's spunkiness shone through as she fearlessly climbed the tree.
Despite facing difficulties, his spunkiness inspired everyone to keep pushing forward.

Synonyms

spunk

vsspunkiness

24 7.6

A brave, determined attitude when facing danger or difficulty

is broader, adding lively boldness beyond danger situations

feistiness

vsspunkiness

2 7.0

A lively, bold attitude that shows readiness to argue or fight

focuses more on bravery and bold spirit rather than combative energy

spiritedness

vsspunkiness

1 5.6

A quality of being lively and full of energy

adds brave, bold determination beyond mere liveliness

Antonyms

apathy

43 6.2

A lack of interest or care about things

laziness

32 1.4

A tendency to avoid work and use little energy

How Spirited

audacity

48 6.0

boldness

18 3.2

spunkiness

Informal

1 5.5

liveliness

3 3.4

quietness

7 1.0

Surface Forms

spunkiness singular

spunkinesses plural

Morphology

spunkiness = spunky (transparent) = spunk + y + ness

Standard noun formation from the adjective 'spunky' using the productive suffix '-ness'.

Etymology

Spunkiness comes from spunk, an old word for a small 'spark' that starts a fire. Think of that spark as a quick burst of energy, so spunkiness means being lively, brave and full of spirit.