zappy

Zappy describes someone or something that is energetic, lively, or fast moving, as in School vacations make me feel all zappy and free.

You might describe someone who is acting extremely excited, sociable, or energetic as zappy. A zappy person might smile and laugh a lot and generally feels energetic or happy. A zappy dog might race around your house, jumping up and down excitedly.

You could use zappy to describe objects that act like this, such as a wind-up toy. But you could also use it to describe objects that do not move. Their zappiness would come from the feelings they inspire in you. Zappy is used in this way most often to describe clothing, art, or other creative works that can appear colorful or flashy or that are meant to create a strong, positive emotion in you. 

Example: You could tell the kids had a good time at the birthday party by how zappy they were.

The first records of the term zappy come from around the 1960s. It combines the term zap, meaning “to suddenly add energy, liveliness, or similar,” and the suffix -y, which creates adjectives meaning “inclined to.” Zappy literally means “inclined to moving quickly.”

Zappy is used less often than one of its synonyms, zippy. Zippy comes from the term zip which, when used informally, means “energy or vigor.” If you’re having a zippy day, for example, you’re having a positive, fun day. Our favorite, though, is when we’re having an extra good day. Then we say we’re having a zippy, zappy day. We hope you’re having a zippy, zappy day, too!

What are some other forms related to zappy?

• zappily (adverb)
• zappiness (noun)

What are some synonyms for zappy?

• cheerful
• exuberant
• robust
• spirited
• merry
• zippy

What are some words that share a root or word element with zappy? 

• zap
• zap out

What are some words that often get used in discussing zappy?

• conversation
• dancing
• talking

Zappy is used informally to mean “lively,” though zippy is more commonly used.

Sun's out and we're feeling zippy zappy Daffy happy! 😎 "Style Wars" original #painting & #mixedmedia on canvas by Barrie J Davies. Love the #fluoro paints on this (impossible to capture on camera 😣 you need to see it #IRL (the BEST way 😃)https://t.co/Oma9XcAENo#daffyduck pic.twitter.com/aVA2kydJ0B

— Conclave Brighton (@ConclaveBTN) March 15, 2022

Nothing like a good cheese pizza and some zappy Coke!

— jack mooring (@jackmooring) October 28, 2012

"Amazing Machines: Big Bulldozers follows Rabbit, Bird, and Mouse as they become bulldozer operators and help out on a busy construction site. Zippy wordplay and zappy art make learning about bulldozers fun, and each page is filled with details that mac

— every title cincy library (@everyTitleCincy) February 21, 2022

Updated on February 27, 2023

Which of the following is NOT a synonym of zappy?

A. tired
B. lively
C. cheery
D. perky