pluck
The courage to do something scary.
pluck in a sentence
- It took real pluck for Rosa to stand on stage and sing in front of the whole school.
- It took plenty of pluck to knock on the spooky door and ask for our ball back.
Try an 11+ style question
Verbal reasoning papers often ask about a word like this.
Which word is closest in meaning to pluck?
- Acourage
- Bfear
- Cpanic
- Dfright
Show the answer
A: courage. The other three mean the opposite of pluck.
Which word is most nearly opposite in meaning to pluck?
- Anerve
- Bcourage
- Cbravery
- Dfear
Show the answer
D: fear. The other three mean nearly the same as pluck.
Words that mean something similar
courage, bravery, nerve
Words that mean the opposite
fear, panic, fright
More words about character & personality
- poised: Calm, steady and ready to act.
- pompous: Acting too grand and important.
- prudent: Careful and sensible, thinking ahead before you act.
- quirky: Unusual in an interesting or charming way.
- rascal: A cheeky person who behaves badly in a playful way.
- renowned: Famous and admired by many people.
- resilient: Able to bounce back quickly after something bad happens.
- rogue: Someone who behaves badly or dishonestly, but is often likeable.
More words to explore
Sitting the 11+ in Kent, Medway or Buckinghamshire?
Plain-English guides to each test, from the councils’ own pages: Kent Test · Medway Test · Bucks Secondary Transfer Test