1
as in lively
having much high-spirited energy and movement
a pert girl who is a member of the cheerleading squad
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in cute
making light of something usually regarded as serious or sacred
a pert retort that irritated the teacher
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in spicy
sharp and pleasantly stimulating to the mind or senses
a pert suggestion for a truly original marketing campaign
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of pert
On a September morning in 1914 a pert and pretty 21-year-old girl from Spokane, Washington, put her horse into what hundreds of onlookers regarded as a somewhat hazardous climb.
—
Ben East, Outdoor Life, 14 Mar. 2025
His left arm is akimbo and his right arm is raised, in a pert military salute, to his forehead.
—Benjamin Moser, The New Yorker, 8 Oct. 2024
Sales were boosted by a national prime-time television ad campaign in which a disorganized young man bumps into a pert young woman at the library, knocking her Trapper to the floor.
—Emily Langer, Washington Post, 30 Aug. 2022
Plenty sweet, to be sure, but certainly not cloying, and despite the grapes’ long hang time the flavors are perfectly fresh — pert and bright, as opposed to the stewy-fruit notes that often burden late-harvest wines.
—Senior Wine Critic, San Francisco Chronicle, 11 July 2019
See All Example Sentences for pert
Ben East, Outdoor Life, 14 Mar. 2025
His left arm is akimbo and his right arm is raised, in a pert military salute, to his forehead.
—Benjamin Moser, The New Yorker, 8 Oct. 2024
Sales were boosted by a national prime-time television ad campaign in which a disorganized young man bumps into a pert young woman at the library, knocking her Trapper to the floor.
—Emily Langer, Washington Post, 30 Aug. 2022
Plenty sweet, to be sure, but certainly not cloying, and despite the grapes’ long hang time the flavors are perfectly fresh — pert and bright, as opposed to the stewy-fruit notes that often burden late-harvest wines.
—Senior Wine Critic, San Francisco Chronicle, 11 July 2019
See All Example Sentences for pert
Recent Examples of Synonyms for pert
Adjective
-
This lively street—lined with elegant colonial homes and cozy cafes and restaurants—culminates at the iconic Ex-Convento de San Bernardino de Siena, known for its nightly video-mapping shows projected in Spanish and in English.—
Regina Zumarraga,
Travel + Leisure,
27 Apr. 2026
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The suit included some versions of Indiana’s trademark work, LOVE, which depicts the word love in lively serif characters, the LO situated atop the VE, with the O placed at an angle.—
Brian Boucher,
ARTnews.com,
27 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
Patagonian Scallops Tiny baby button scallops, so cute.—
Alex Beggs,
Bon Appetit Magazine,
25 Apr. 2026
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Someone says the rats are actually cute — what’s your honest response?—
Zach Schiffman,
Curbed,
24 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
The company makes pickles in flavors such as hot, half-sour and sweet and spicy.—
Saleen Martin,
USA Today,
28 Apr. 2026
-
It’s finished in a spicy-sweet sauce that would make a rubber tire taste good.—
Nina Moskowitz,
Bon Appetit Magazine,
28 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
In the hours before the dinner, the blocks surrounding the Hilton were already jammed with cars, onlookers, and energetic protesters.—
Shane Harris,
The Atlantic,
27 Apr. 2026
-
The build from the back at all costs, but with relatively no clear shape, and a huge risk / reward dynamic is not what a youthful energetic team should be doing.—
Simon Johnson,
New York Times,
27 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
Conductors often fetishize the opening bars of this opera, their squirmy alternation of silence and piquant dissonance.—
Justin Davidson,
Vulture,
11 Mar. 2026
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Red cabbage, carrots and Tuscan kale form the base, bound together with a piquant balsamic-Dijon vinaigrette.—
Lynda Balslev,
Mercury News,
3 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
The company is taking advantage of California’s recent changes to the tax incentive program expanding the eligible categories of production to include animated movies.—
Winston Cho,
HollywoodReporter,
23 Apr. 2026
-
Wichí people inhabit an animated world.—
María Carri,
Artforum,
16 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
This sweet-yet-zesty lemon dessert is an old-fashioned treat with a double crust to keep the custard-like filling inside.—
Lisa Cericola,
Southern Living,
22 Apr. 2026
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Grab a slice to top your favorite citrusy cookies, or add it to breakfast pancakes for a zesty twist.—
Staff Author,
Better Homes & Gardens,
18 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
Contending visions of the attorney general’s job Bondi’s tenure illustrates the conflicting visions of what an attorney general should do that animate today’s American politics.—
Austin Sarat,
The Conversation,
3 Apr. 2026
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The self is made of memories but can also shape them — an animate sculpture able to rework its own clay.—
Eric Boodman,
Vulture,
25 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Pert.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pert. Accessed 1 May. 2026.
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