Definition of "sprightly" [spright•ly]

• Full of spirit and vitality; lively; brisk. (adjective)
• In a lively, animated manner. (adverb)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

• "By this time I had my black wardrobe more or less together, and had learned not to say, “Well, hi there!” in sprightly tones."
• "It was all "sprightly" -- that was Murray's tone -- but also it was cordial; and it referred to Thyrsis 'earlier novel, "The Hearer of Truth", as "that brilliant piece of work"."
• "The letters contain many particulars of her life, together with many anecdotes hitherto unknown or forgotten, told with a saucy vivacity which is charming, and an air vividly recalling the sprightly, arch demeanour, and black, sparkling eyes of the fair Queen of Navarre."