brisk
/brɪsk
/adjective
1Active and energetic: a good brisk walk business appeared to be brisk...
- That done, she departed for the stables at a brisk speedy walk.
- Navi took a quick break from their brisk walk by leaning against one of the light poles.
- Darren had to hurry to keep pace with his father's brisk walk.
Synonyms
quick, rapid, fast, swift, speedy, fleet-footed;
hasty, hurried, urgent;
energetic, lively, vigorous, sharp;
agile, nimble, spry, sprightly, spirited
informal nippy, snappy
rare alacritous
busy, bustling, lively, active, vibrant, hectic;
good
1.1Showing a wish to deal with things quickly; slightly brusque: she adopted a brisk, businesslike tone...
- The answering tone was brisk and businesslike, as if this happened ordinarily and every day.
- She said all this in a brisk voice but faltered slightly when she saw all my luggage.
- ‘Time to go, Cheri,’ Mrs Barnes chirped in brisk tones.
Synonyms
no-nonsense, decisive, businesslike;
brusque, abrupt, short, sharp, curt, crisp, blunt, terse, snappy, snappish, gruff;
rude, discourteous, uncivil
1.2(Of wind or the weather) cold but pleasantly invigorating: the sea was shimmering and heaving beneath the brisk breeze...
- A cold, brisk wind fills the square on a grey Saturday afternoon.
- Though the wind was brisk and chilly, the sun was bright and warm.
- The September night was chilly, with a brisk wind picking up, but neither seemed to notice.
Synonyms
bracing, fresh, crisp, invigorating, refreshing, reviving, stimulating, rousing, enlivening, exhilarating, energizing;
restorative, tonic, vitalizing, healthful, health-giving;
sharp, biting, keen, chilly, cold
informal nippy
verb [with object] (brisk something up)
Quicken something: Mary brisked up her pace
Derivatives
brisken
- In the restaurant after midnight trade briskened.
- Sauna - briskens the blood circulation and increases the heart beats.
- With these words he briskened his pace.
briskness
/ noun ...- The trio exited the station into the crisp briskness of the winter afternoon and hurried for the carriage.
- There's a chill in the night air, and a certain briskness to the mornings.
- It was pretty hot out, a change from the briskness of the past few days.
Origin
Late 16th century: probably from French brusque (see brusque).
brusque from mid 17th century:
This has been adopted from the French word meaning ‘lively, fierce’, from Italian brusco ‘sour’. Brisk (late 16th century) is probably the same word.