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Sprightlike, or spiritlike; lively; brisk; animated; vigorous; airy; gay; as, a sprightly youth; a sprightly air; a sprightly dance. "Sprightly wit and love inspires." Dryden. The sprightly Sylvia trips along the green. Pope.

Light of heart; vivacious; sprightly; flippant; superficial. "Merry and airy." Jer. Taylor.

Gay; cheerful; sprightly. [Obs.] Bacon.

Sprightly; lively; brisk. Richardson.

An allegro movement; a quick, sprightly strain or piece.

A poem after the manner of Anacreon; a sprightly little poem in praise of love and wine.

Gay; merry; sprightly; joyous; glad; cheerful; as, a blithe spirit. The blithe sounds of festal music. Prescott. A daughter fair, So buxom, blithe, and debonair. Milton.

A quick and lively dance. [Obs.] Make you dance canary With sprightly fire and motion. Shak.

Cheerful; sprightly; lively; merry. "The canty dame." Wordsworth [Scot. & Prov. Eng.] Contented with little, and canty with mair. Burns.

To leap or jump about in a sprightly manner; to cut capers; to skip; to spring; to prance; to dance. He capers, he dances, he has eyes of youth. Shak.

A light-colored, sprightly American wine from the Catawba grape.

A gay, sprightly, military man; hence, a gallant.

A sprightly but somewhat stately dance, now out of fashion. It is harder to dance a corant well, than a jig. Sir W. temple. Dancing a coranto with him upon the heath. Macaulay.

A sprightly dance; a coranto; a courant.

Full of spirit; brisk; lively; sprightly; overconfident; opinionated. He who was, a little before, bedrid, . . . was now crank and lusty. Udall. If you strong electioners did not think you were among the elect, you would not be so crank about it. Mrs. Stowe.

Free; nimble; sprightly; active. [Obs.] Wonderly deliver and great of strength. Chaucer.

shore she plays, Disclosing rock, and slope, and forest brown! Byron. Her lively looks a sprightly mind disclose. Pope.

To give spirit or vivacity to; to make sprightly, gay, or cheerful; to animate; as, mirth and good humor enliven a company; enlivening strains of music.

to examination, investigation, or research; searching; curious. A young, inquisitive, and sprightly genius. I. Watts.

Amorous; also, lively; light-footed; nimble; gay; sprightly. [Prov. Eng.] Halliwell.