zesty, adj.

zesty
http://www.oed.com/dictionary/zesty_adj%3Ftab%3Dmeaning_and_use
Revised 2018

# zestyadjective

## Earlier version

- zesty, a. in OED Second Edition (1989)

## Factsheet

### What does the adjective zesty mean?

There are two meanings listed in OED's entry for the adjective zesty. See ‘Meaning & use’ for definitions, usage, and quotation evidence.

### How common is the adjective zesty?

About 0.06occurrences per million words in modern written English

1820 | 0.0001
1830 | 0.0001
1840 | 0.0001
1850 | 0.0001
1860 | 0.00007
1870 | 0.0001
1880 | 0.0002
1890 | 0.0004
1900 | 0.0006
1910 | 0.0016
1920 | 0.0028
1930 | 0.0048
1940 | 0.0094
1950 | 0.018
1960 | 0.031
1970 | 0.041
1980 | 0.051
1990 | 0.058
2000 | 0.067
2010 | 0.076

### How is the adjective zesty pronounced?

#### British English

/ˈzɛsti/
ZESS-tee

#### U.S. English

/ˈzɛsti/
ZESS-tee

### Where does the adjective zesty come from?

Earliest known use

1820s

The earliest known use of the adjective zesty is in the 1820s.

OED's earliest evidence for zesty is from 1826, in the writing of R. P. Gillies.

zesty is formed within English, by derivation.

Etymons: zest n.1, ‑y suffix1.

### Nearby entries

1. zero-zero, adj. & n. 1930–
2. zerumbet, n. 1640–
3. zest, n.¹ 1674–
4. zest, n.² 1706
5. zest, v. 1702–
6. zest, int. 1705–22
7. zester, n. 1963–
8. zestful, adj. 1797–
9. zestfully, adv. 1843–
10. zestiness, n. 1912–
11. zesty, adj.1826–
12. zeta, n.¹?a1425–
13. zeta, n.² 1706–1860
14. zetacism, n. 1860–
15. zeta function, n. 1879–
16. zeta-ic, adj. 1840–1927
17. zeta potential, n. 1927–
18. zetetic, adj. & n. 1645–
19. zetetical, adj. & n. 1646–
20. zetetically, adv. 1665–
21. Zetetical Society, n. 1881–

## Etymology

### Summary

Formed within English, by derivation.
< zest n.1 + ‑y suffix1.

## Meaning & use

1. 1.
   1826–
   Of a taste, smell, or food: piquant, tangy, agreeably sharp; flavoursome.
   1. 1826

      > The hung beef saluted my nostrils with such a zesty odour.

      R. P. Gillies, Tales Voyager to Arctic Ocean vol. I. 69
   2. 1887

      > The lump of zesty bait is lowered into the water, and the flavor of this liberal morsel will scent the current down a full square.

      Times (Philadelphia) 18 July
   3. 1936

      > Mix it with orange, lemon, grapefruit, pineapple juices or with ginger ale for a zesty pick-up.

      New York Herald-Tribune 25 August 8
   4. 1953

      > The meal was plain and good, with the zesty taste of country cooking.

      ‘A. Bridge’, Place to Stand v. 67
   5. 2007

      > It's a lively, zesty wine.

      Wine & Spirit May 80/2
   1. good Old English–
      Pleasing, appealing, or satisfying to the senses. Pleasant to eat or smell; tasty, appetizing; fragrant. Also in figurative contexts.
   2. liking Old English–1695
      That is pleasing or likeable; pleasant, agreeable, attractive. Also (of food): tasty, delicious. Frequently with to.
   3. lickerous c1275–1603
      Pleasing or tempting to the palate. Also gen. and figurative: Sweet, pleasant, delightful.
   4. delicious a1325–
      Extremely pleasing to the senses, esp. to the taste or smell; providing great sensual pleasure; delectable; (now usually) very appetizing, highly…
   5. dainty a1382–
      With reference to food or drink: appetizing, delicate, delicious; pleasing to the palate.
   6. dainteous c1386–1548
      = dainty, adj.
   7. daintiful 1393–1440
      = dainty, adj.
   8. delicate a1398–
      Of food or drink: very pleasing to the taste; delicious; choice. Now rare.
   9. merry a1398–1582
      Of an odour: pleasant, fragrant. Of a fruit, plant, etc.: sweet-smelling, aromatic. Obsolete.
   10. savourly c1400–
       Having a pleasant taste or fragrance; full of savour (in various senses of the noun), savoury.
   11. licious c1420–1670
       = delicious, adj. & n.
   12. savourous a1425–
       Having a (usually pleasant) flavour or odour; appetizing, fragrant.
   13. dainteth c1430–40
       Obsolete.
   14. lusty c1430–50
       Pleasing, pleasant. Obsolete. Pleasant to the taste. Obsolete.
   15. feelsome a1450–
       Pleasing to the senses.
   16. nutty a1450–
       Resembling a nut or nuts in flavour, colour, etc.
   17. seasonable a1475
       Capable of serving as seasoning; tasty, savoury. Obsolete. rare.
   18. delicative c1475–1510
       Delightful, luxurious; delicious; (of a person) given to or immoderatly fond of pleasure or luxury. Also as n.: a delicious or choice food, a…
   19. unctuous 1495–
       Of meat: Greasy, fat, rich. Now archaic.
   20. well-tasted a1500–
       Having a pleasant flavour; tasty. Also figurative. Now archaic and rare.
   21. daintive 1526
       = dainty, n., dainty, adj.
   22. savoury 1533–
       Of food or drink: having a salty, piquant, or ‘umami’ taste or flavour; not sweet. Also: of or relating to such food or drink. Cf. umami, n.
   23. exquisite 1561–
       Sought out, ‘recherché’. Of meat, drink, etc.: Carefully chosen; choice, dainty, delicious (passing into sense A.5).
   24. spicy 1562–
       Having the characteristic qualities of spice; of the nature of spice.
   25. well-relished?1575–1826
       Having a pleasant taste; very appetizing. Also figurative.
   26. toothsome 1584–
       Pleasant to the taste, savoury, palatable: cf. tooth, n. I.2a.
   27. taste-pleasing a1586–
   28. daint 1590–1673
       = dainty, adj.
   29. relishsome 1593–
       Relishable; tasty, appetizing.
   30. lickerish 1595–1728
       Pleasant to the palate; gen. sweet, tempting, attractive; = lickerous, adj. 1. Of a cook: Skilful in preparing dainties. Obsolete.
   31. tastesome 1598
       Pleasant to the taste; ‘tasty’, toothsome.
   32. friand 1599–1818
       Dainty; delicious to the palate; fond of delicate food.
   33. tooth-tempting 1603–
   34. relishing 1605–
       Appetizing, relishable; enjoyable.
   35. well-relishing 1608–1836
       Having a pleasant taste; = well-relished, adj. Also figurative.
   36. neat 1609–1857
       Of preparations, esp. in cookery: skilfully or tastefully prepared; choice; elegant. Obsolete.
   37. hungry 1611–
       Causing or inducing hunger; appetizing. rare.
   38. palate-pleasing 1611–
   39. tasteful 1611–
       Having an agreeable taste; palatable, toothsome, tasty. Now rare.
   40. palate a1617
       Pleasant to the palate or taste; palatable. Obsolete. rare.
   41. tasty a1617–
       Pleasing to the taste; appetizing, savoury.
   42. palatable 1619–
       Of food, drink, medicine, etc.: agreeable or acceptable to the palate; pleasant to the taste.
   43. toothful 1622
       Pleasant to the taste: = toothsome, adj. Obsolete.
   44. sipid 1623–
       Savoury; = sapid, adj. 1.
   45. unsoured 1626–
       (un-, prefix¹ affix 2.)
   46. famelic 1631–51
       Pertaining to hunger; in quots.: Exciting hunger, appetizing.
   47. tasteable a1641–1791
       Pleasant to the taste; savoury, ‘tasty’. Obsolete.
   48. piquant 1645–
       Of food, etc.: having a (usually pleasantly) pungent or sharp taste; sharp; tangy; appetizing.
   49. sapid 1646–
       Of food, etc.: Readily perceptible by the organs of taste, having a decided taste or flavour; esp. having a pleasant taste, savoury, palatable.
   50. saporous a1670–
       Of or pertaining to taste; having flavour or taste; yielding some kind of taste. †Also, agreeable to the taste, savoury.
   51. slape 1671–
       Of ale: (see quots.).
   52. palative a1682–
       Appealing to the palate or taste. Also: of or relating to the palate.
   53. flavorous 1697–
       Full of flavour; pleasing to the taste and smell, savoury; ‘fragrant, odorous’ (Johnson).
   54. nice 1709–
       Of food or drink: dainty, choice; (later in weakened sense) tasty, appetizing; refreshing, restorative.
   55. well-flavoured 1717–
       Having a good natural flavour; flavourful.
   56. gusty 1721–
       Tasty, savoury, appetizing.
   57. flavoury 1727–
       = flavoursome, adj.
   58. fine-palated 1735–
       †a. Having a pleasant taste, palatable (obsolete rare); b. having a sophisticated palate (palate, n. A.2a); appreciative of fine food and drink.
   59. unrepulsive 1787–
       Not repulsive.
   60. degustatory 1824–
       Pertaining to degustation; tasty.
   61. zesty 1826–
       Of a taste, smell, or food: piquant, tangy, agreeably sharp; flavoursome.
   62. peckish 1845
       Appetizing. Obsolete. rare.
   63. mouth-watering 1847–
       That causes a flow of saliva into the mouth, appetizing; (figurative) desirable, highly attractive.
   64. flavoursome 1853–
       Full of flavour.
   65. unreasty 1853
       Not rancid.
   66. unrancid a1855–
       Not rancid. Also figurative.
   67. relishy 1864–
       Appetizing, relishable.
   68. toothy 1864–
       Toothsome, palatable. rare.
   69. flavoured 1867–
       Having flavour; chiefly, having a specified flavour, indicated by some defining word as ill-flavoured, orange-flavoured, vanilla-flavoured, etc.
   70. tasty-looking 1867–
   71. hungrifying 1886–
       Appetizing.
   72. velvety 1888–
       Smooth and soft to the taste.
   73. snappy 1892–
       colloquial. Having a brisk smack or flavour.
   74. zippy 1911–
       Designating a zesty, tangy, or piquant flavour; (of food or drink) having such flavour.
   75. savoursome 1922–
       Having a pleasant or savoury taste or smell; (also) able to be savoured.
   76. delish 1953–
       Extremely pleasing to the senses; (chiefly) very tasty or appetizing. Sometimes of a person: very attractive. Cf. delicious, adj. A.1.
   View in Historical Thesaurus
2. 2.
   1853–
   figurative. Characterized by energy or vigour; lively, spirited; invigorating, stimulating. Cf. zest n.1 3.
   1. 1853

      > Fresh and fragrant are the leaves which Fanny Fern has inserted in her portfolio. A more zesty, readable book does not often present itself.

      Christian Parlor Magazine vol. 10 251/1
   2. 1876

      > Ready, fluent, and never hesitating for a word, the flood poured at command, as zesty and sparkling as a river of champagne.

      Southern Law Review October 526
   3. 1911

      > Nothing ever disappointed our zesty imagination more than these celebrated plains.

      Travel July 447/1
   4. 1952

      > Zesty as a two-year-old rounding into the stretch, Britain's aged Prime Minister Winston Churchill last week entered his 79th year enthusiastically agallop on all his old hobbies.

      Time 15 December 33/1
   5. 1972

      > Housing starts remain zesty, at an annual rate of 2,500,000 units in recent months.

      Time 17 April 43/2
   6. 2007

      > They were eager to prove that the years had not dampened their spirits as they charged through a zesty rendition of their old hit Stop!

      Daily Telegraph (Nexis) 17 November 9
   1. lively Old English–
      Vigorous, energetic, active, brisk. Of a person, a person's physical or mental faculties, or an activity sustained by a person. Also of an animal.
   2. sprind Old English–1350
      Vigorous, strong.
   3. kask c1300
      Active, vigorous.
   4. wight c1300–
      Strong, vigorous, robust, stalwart, mighty; exercising strength, energetic (passing into A.3).
   5. courageous c1386–1577
      Full of virile force; lively, lusty, vigorous.
   6. wieldy a1413–1916
      Capable of moving with ease; physically able (to do something); vigorous, active; agile, nimble. Obsolete.
   7. able c1440–
      Now Scottish, Irish English (northern), and Newfoundland. Of a person, the body, etc.: having general physical strength; vigorous, powerful…
   8. wighty c1475–
      = wight, adj.
   9. tall of hand 1530–1632
      Phrase tall of (his, her) hand(s): sometimes, (cf. sense A.I.1) Ready, active, deft, skilful with (his, her) hands; dexterous, handy; sometimes, (cf…
   10. sappy 1558–
       figurative in various applications. Full of vitality.
   11. energical 1565–1883
       Relating to, characterized by, or full of energy (in various senses); esp. operative; efficacious. Cf. energic, adj.
   12. energetical 1585–
       Characterized by or full of energy, force, or vitality; energetic; emphatic; vigorous; lively. Now rare.
   13. greeny a1586–
       Green; verdant. Also figurative: vigorous. Now rare.
   14. stout 1600–1711
       Strenuous, energetic. Obsolete.
   15. strenuous 1602–
       Of persons or their dispositions: Vigorous in action, energetic; ‘brave, bold, active, valiant’ (Johnson). Now usually with stronger notion…
   16. forceful?1624–
       Full of force, powerful, strong, vigorous.
   17. actuous 1626–1869
       = actuose, adj.
   18. vigorous 1638–
       Of persons, etc.: Acting, or prepared to act, with vigour.
   19. vivid 1638–
       Full of life; vigorous, active, or energetic on this account; lively or brisk. Of persons (or animals), their attributes, etc.
   20. high-spirited 1653–
       Exhibiting or characterized by courage and spirit, or (later) liveliness and cheerful good humour.
   21. hearty 1665–
       Of a physical action: vigorous; performed with great energy.
   22. actuose 1677–
       Full of activity, abounding in action; active.
   23. living 1699–
       Full of life or vigour; fresh, vivid; lively, vibrant. Cf. lively, adj. A.3, A.5, A.6.
   24. full-blooded 1707–
       Originally: having or containing much blood. Later also: (of a person) having the qualities associated with a constitution rich in blood (cf. plet…
   25. executive 1708–1825
       Active in execution, energetic. Obsolete. rare.
   26. rugged 1731–
       Chiefly U.S. Of a person: strong, sturdy; robust, vigorous.
   27. sousing 1735–
       Strong, vigorous, ‘powerful’. Now dialect.
   28. energic 1740–
       Of movement, activity, etc.: characterized by or carried out with vigour or force; emphatic. Also of a person, group, etc.: full of energy…
   29. bouncing 1743
       That bounces: in various senses of the verb relating alike to loudness, brag, and vigorous or ungainly movement. Often also (like ‘thumping…
   30. two-fisted 1774–
       a. (dialect or colloquial), awkward with the hands, clumsy; b. U.S. colloquial, tough, aggressive; vigorous; c. Tennis of a backhand stroke: played…
   31. energetic 1782–
       Of a person, group, etc.: full of energy or vitality; strenuously active; vigorous; (also) dynamic; spirited; lively.
   32. zestful 1797–
       figurative. Full of zest; invigorating, stimulating, enjoyable; lively, spirited; = zesty, adj. 2. Cf. zest, n.¹ 3, 4.
   33. rollicking 1801–
       Of an action, behaviour, song, etc.: characterized by vivaciousness or boisterousness.
   34. through-ganging 1814–1923
       Active, energetic, spirited. Cf. throughgoing, adj. 2a.
   35. throughgoing 1814–
       Chiefly Scottish, Irish English (northern), and U.S. regional. Of a person: that gets through work quickly or thoroughly; active, energetic…
   36. slashing 1828–
       Spirited; dashing; full of vigour. Now used esp. of horses.
   37. high-powered 1829–
       Of a machine or device: having greater than normal strength or capabilities; very powerful. Also in extended use: of high quality.
   38. high pressure 1834–
       Involving or characterized by a high degree of exertion, urgency, or coercion; spec. (with regard to selling) employing or involving highly…
   39. rip-roaring 1834–
       Full of energy and vigour; boisterous, wildly noisy; first-rate, exciting.
   40. red-blooded 1836–
       Vigorous, virile, full of energy and strength; (now) esp. (of a man) having strong heterosexual appetites.
   41. ripsnorting 1846–
       = rip-roaring, adj.
   42. zesty 1853–
       figurative. Characterized by energy or vigour; lively, spirited; invigorating, stimulating. Cf. zest, n.¹ 3.
   43. dynamic 1856–
       transferred and figurative. Active, potent, energetic, effective, forceful.
   44. throbbing 1864–
       figurative. That pulsates with energy, life, etc.; thrilling, exciting; vibrant, lively.
   45. kinky 1872–
       U.S. regional (New England). Esp. of a person or animal: energetic, lively, spirited; (in negative sense) difficult to manage, frisky. Now rare.
   46. goey 1875–
       Full of ‘go’; energetic, lively, vigorous; dynamic, enterprising.
   47. torpedoic 1893–
       Of a torpedo, like that of a torpedo.
   48. zippy 1903–
       Full of ‘zip’ (zip, n.¹ B.1b); bright, lively, energetic; fresh, invigorating.
   49. go-at-it 1904–
       Full of energy, vitality, or determination.
   50. punchy 1907–
       Full of punch or impact; forceful, effective; vigorous.
   51. up-and-at-'em 1909–
   52. driving 1916–
       With reference to music: energetic, dynamic, forceful.
   53. vibrant a1929–
       Without const. Full of vitality, teeming, vigorous; exuberant, flourishing.
   54. kinetic 1931–
       transferred and figurative, esp. active, dynamic, full of energy.
   55. zinging 1931–
       That abounds with energy or excitement; vibrant, lively.
   56. high-octane 1936–
       figurative. Vigorous, energetic; powerful; very intense. Cf. octane, n. 3.
   57. zingy 1938–
       Energetic, exciting, vibrant; (of a remark, joke, etc.) witty, lively, and effective.
   58. slam-bang 1939–
       In weakened use: exciting, impressive, first-rate. Also, vigorous, energetic. colloquial.
   59. balls-to-the-wall 1967–
       Unrestrained, aggressive, forceful; all-out, ‘full-throttle’. Cf. balls-out, adv. & adj.
   60. balls-out 1968–
       Unrestrained, uninhibited; aggressive, extremely forceful, all-out.
   61. ass-kicking 1977–
       Forceful, aggressive.
   62. hi-octane 1977–
       = high-octane, adj. A.2.
   View in Historical Thesaurus
   1. stirring 1421–
      That excites or incites. Inciting to action, or inducing emotion; rousing, stimulating, animating, inspiriting; exciting, moving, thrilling.
   2. excitative 1490–
      Able or tending to excite: in senses of the verb. Const. of.
   3. rousing 1576–
      That excites or inspires someone or something; stirring; stimulating; inciting to action.
   4. animating 1595–
      That animates or gives life; inspiring, encouraging. Also: rendering lifelike.
   5. excitant 1608–
      That rouses, excites, or stimulates; exciting, stimulating. Cf. excite, v. 1, 4, 6.
   6. exciteful?1615–18
      Tending to excite to action.
   7. spirit-stirring a1616–
      That stirs or animates the spirits; spirit-rousing.
   8. spiritous 1624–88
      Open to the free circulation of air; airy. Obsolete.
   9. excitating a1643
   10. exagitating 1646
       Producing agitation, disturbing.
   11. fermentive 1656–
       Tending to produce fermentation.
   12. awakening 1694–
       Fitted to arouse; rousing.
   13. electrifying 1746–
       That electrifies something or someone; (chiefly figurative) startling, exciting, thrilling.
   14. electrical 1760–
       figurative. Originally: †causing attraction, as if by static electricity (obsolete). Later: exciting, thrilling, tense; = electric, adj. A.4.
   15. upstirring 1767–
       Stimulating, rousing.
   16. thrilling 1768–
       Producing a sudden wave of excitement or emotion; piercing the feelings.
   17. excitive 1774–
       Tending to excite. Const. of.
   18. proceleusmatic 1775–1866
       That causes or engenders excitement or enthusiasm; encouraging, animating. Obsolete.
   19. electric 1789–
       figurative. Suddenly exciting, thrilling, or intense, as if caused by an electric charge or shock; stimulating; charged with tension.
   20. inspiriting 1796–
       That inspirits; animating, encouraging, cheering.
   21. fermentitious 1807–
       Of a fermenting or effervescent nature.
   22. exciting 1811–
       That excites. exciting cause n. (chiefly Pathology) that which immediately causes disease, etc.; opposed to predisposing cause.
   23. red-hot 1835–
       slang (originally U.S.). Of a person or thing: up-to-the-minute, brand new; exciting, sensational, dramatic. Cf. hot, adj. A.II.10b.
   24. hair-raising 1838–
       Extremely astonishing, exciting; alarming or frightening. Cf. to stand on end at stand, v. III.18b, horripilation, n.
   25. suscitating 1840–
   26. arousing 1841–
       Rousing, stirring, exciting.
   27. sizzling 1845–
   28. zesty 1853–
       figurative. Characterized by energy or vigour; lively, spirited; invigorating, stimulating. Cf. zest, n.¹ 3.
   29. dramatic 1861–
       Exciting, tense; involving a lot of action or emotional turmoil.
   30. excitory 1861–
       Fitted to excite; instrumental in exciting.
   31. throbbing 1864–
       figurative. That pulsates with energy, life, etc.; thrilling, exciting; vibrant, lively.
   32. buzzing 1882–
       colloquial (originally U.S.). Lively, exciting; busy, popular.
   33. ding-dong 1887–
       colloquial (originally English regional, later chiefly Australian). Excellent, great; extraordinary; exciting.
   34. thrillful 1887–
       Full of thrills, thrilling.
   35. stir-up 1890–
       Having the quality of stirring up; rousing.
   36. large 1895–
       slang (originally and chiefly U.S.). Of a period of time: enjoyable, exciting; excellent.
   37. thrilly 1896–
       Having a thrilling quality.
   38. high voltage 1909–
       Powerful or intense, as if caused or operated by a high-voltage electric current; very exciting; highly charged.
   39. voltaic 1920–
       figurative.
   40. sizzly 1936–
       Sizzling, effervescent, exciting.
   41. Boy's Own 1967–
       Resembling or evocative of a children's adventure story; characterized by daring and heroism; exciting.
   42. hot shit 1967–
       coarse slang (originally U.S.). As a general term of appreciation: outstanding; skilful; exciting. Frequently ironic. Cf. hot stuff, adj., shit-hot, adj.
   43. crunk 1995–
       U.S. slang. Chiefly in the context of hip-hop: exciting or fun; (of a person) extremely energized or excited. Frequently in to get (it) crunk and…
   View in Historical Thesaurus
   1. piquant 1645–
      Stimulating or agreeable to the mind or senses; fascinating; charming.
   2. poignant a1657–
      Stimulating to the mind, feelings, or passions; pleasantly or delightfully piquant. Now rare except as merged in later use of 2a.
   3. French 1682–
      With the implication of sexual adventurousness or explicitness. See also French letter, n., French tickler, n.
   4. flavorous 1697–
      Full of flavour; pleasing to the taste and smell, savoury; ‘fragrant, odorous’ (Johnson).
   5. zested 1769–
   6. zestful 1797–
      figurative. Full of zest; invigorating, stimulating, enjoyable; lively, spirited; = zesty, adj. 2. Cf. zest, n.¹ 3, 4.
   7. pungent 1850–
      Mentally stimulating or exciting; fascinating. Now rare.
   8. spicy 1853–
      Exciting, exhilarating.
   9. zesty 1853–
      figurative. Characterized by energy or vigour; lively, spirited; invigorating, stimulating. Cf. zest, n.¹ 3.
   10. juicy 1883–
       figurative. Suggestive, esp. in a sexual way; piquant, racy, sensational. colloquial.
   11. nutty 1894
       figurative. Pleasant, rich, full of zest; spicy or piquant in interest. Obsolete.
   12. sauced 1894–
       With up. Of food: embellished or made more flavoursome by the addition of a sauce; (figurative) that has been embellished or made fancy or showy in…
   13. colourful 1905–
       Full of or characterized by colour; esp. brightly coloured.
   14. zappy 1969–
       Lively, amusing, energetic; striking.
   View in Historical Thesaurus

## Pronunciation

### British English

/ˈzɛsti/
ZESS-tee

### U.S. English

/ˈzɛsti/
ZESS-tee

####

##### Consonants

- ppea
- ttea
- kkey
- bbuy
- ddye
- ɡguy
- tʃchore
- dʒjay
- ffore
- θthaw
- ssore
- ʃshore
- vvee
- ðthee
- zzee
- ʒbeige
- xloch
- hhay
- llay
- ɬrhingyll
- rray
- wway
- jyore
- mmay
- nnay
- ŋsing

Some consonants can take the function of the vowel in unstressed syllables. Where necessary, a syllabic marker diacritic is used, hence /ˈpɛtl/ but /ˈpɛtl̩i/.

##### Vowels

- iːfleece
- ihappy
- ɪkit
- ɛdress
- atrap, bath
- ɑːstart, palm, bath
- ɒlot
- ɔːthought, force
- ʌstrut
- ʊfoot
- uːgoose
- əletter
- əːnurse
- ɪənear
- ɛːsquare
- ʊəcure
- eɪface
- ʌɪpride
- aʊmouth
- əʊgoat
- ɔɪvoice
- ãgratin
- ɒ̃salon
- ᵻ(/ɪ/-/ə/)
- ᵿ(/ʊ/-/ə/)

##### Other symbols

- The symbol ˈ at the beginning of a syllable indicates that that syllable is pronounced with primary stress.
- The symbol ˌ at the beginning of a syllable indicates that that syllable is pronounced with secondary stress.
- Round brackets ( ) in a transcription indicate that the symbol within the brackets is optional.

View the pronunciation model here.

####

##### Consonants

- ppea
- ttea
- kkey
- bbuy
- ddye*
- ɡguy
- tʃchore
- dʒjay
- ffore
- θthaw
- ssore
- ʃshore
- vvee
- ðthee
- zzee
- ʒbeige
- xloch
- hhay
- llay
- rray
- wway
- jyore
- mmay
- nnay
- ŋsing

* /d/ also represents a 'tapped' /t/ as in

Some consonants can take the function of the vowel in unstressed syllables. Where necessary, a syllabic marker diacritic is used, hence /ˈpɛd(ə)l/ but /ˈpɛdl̩i/.

##### Vowels

- ifleece, happy
- ɪkit
- ɛdress
- ætrap, bath
- ɑlot, palm, cloth, thought
- ɑrstart
- ɔcloth, thought
- ɔrnorth, force
- ʊfoot
- ugoose
- əstrut, comma
- ərnurse, letter
- ɪ(ə)rnear
- ɛ(ə)rsquare
- ʊ(ə)rcure
- eɪface
- aɪpride
- aʊmouth
- oʊgoat
- ɔɪvoice
- ɑ̃gratin
- æ̃salon
- ᵻ(/ɪ/-/ə/)
- ᵿ(/ʊ/-/ə/)

##### Other symbols

- The symbol ˈ at the beginning of a syllable indicates that that syllable is pronounced with primary stress.
- The symbol ˌ at the beginning of a syllable indicates that that syllable is pronounced with secondary stress.
- Round brackets ( ) in a transcription indicate that the symbol within the brackets is optional.

View the pronunciation model here.

####

Simple text respell breaks words into syllables, separated by a hyphen. The syllable which carries the primary stress is written in capital letters. This key covers both British and U.S. English Simple Text Respell.

##### Consonants

b, d, f, h, k, l, m, n, p, r, s, t, v, w and z have their standard English values

- gguy
- jjay
- yyore
- chchore
- khloch
- shshore
- ththaw
- dhthee
- zhbeige

##### Vowels

- atrap
- ahpalm
- airsquare
- arstart
- arrcarry (British only)
- awthought
- ayface
- a(ng)gratin
- edress
- eefleece
- eerdeer
- errmerry
- ikit
- ighpride
- irrmirror
- olot (British only)
- ohgoat
- oogoose
- oorcure
- orforce
- orrsorry (British only)
- owmouth
- oyvoice
- o(ng)salon
- ustrut
- uhletter
- urnurse
- urrhurry
- uufoot

## Frequency

zesty typically occurs about 0.06 times per million words in modern written English.

zesty is in frequency band 3, which contains words occurring between 0.01 and 0.1 times per million words in modern written English. More about OED's frequency bands

Frequency data is computed programmatically, and should be regarded as an estimate.

### Frequency of zesty, adj., 1820–2010

* Occurrences per million words in written English

Historical frequency series are derived from Google Books Ngrams (version 2), a data set based on the Google Books corpus of several million books printed in English between 1500 and 2010.

The overall frequency for a given word is calculated by summing frequencies for the main form of the word, any plural or inflected forms, and any major spelling variations.

For sets of homographs (distinct entries that share the same word-form, e.g. mole, n.¹, mole, n.², mole, n.³, etc.), we have estimated the frequency of each homograph entry as a fraction of the total Ngrams frequency for the word-form. This may result in inaccuracies.

Smoothing has been applied to series for lower-frequency words, using a moving-average algorithm. This reduces short-term fluctuations, which may be produced by variability in the content of the Google Books corpus.

Decade | Frequency per million words
--- | ---
1820 | 0.0001
1830 | 0.0001
1840 | 0.0001
1850 | 0.0001
1860 | 0.00007
1870 | 0.0001
1880 | 0.0002
1890 | 0.0004
1900 | 0.0006
1910 | 0.0016
1920 | 0.0028
1930 | 0.0048
1940 | 0.0094
1950 | 0.018
1960 | 0.031
1970 | 0.041
1980 | 0.051
1990 | 0.058
2000 | 0.067
2010 | 0.076

### Frequency of zesty, adj., 2017–2024

* Occurrences per million words in written English

Modern frequency series are derived from a corpus of 20 billion words, covering the period from 2017 to the present. The corpus is mainly compiled from online news sources, and covers all major varieties of World English.

Smoothing has been applied to series for lower-frequency words, using a moving-average algorithm. This reduces short-term fluctuations, which may be produced by variability in the content of the corpus.

Period | Frequency per million words
--- | ---
2017 | 0.28
2018 | 0.27
2019 | 0.27
2020 | 0.28
2021 | 0.32
2022 | 0.37
2023 | 0.41
2024 | 0.45

## Compounds & derived words

Sort by

1. zestiness, n. 1912–
   The quality or state of being zesty (in various…

zesty, adj. was revised in June 2018.

zesty, adj. was last modified in June 2025.