mettlesome

[ met-l-suh m ]

/ ˈmɛt l səm /

spirited; courageous.

Origin of mettlesome

First recorded in 1655–65; mettle + -some¹

It was Rose, living and glowing; Rose, who was the brilliant young Amazon, smoothing the neck of a mettlesome gray cob.

Evan Harrington, Complete |George Meredith
And being a mettlesome young man into the bargain, he rose by unanimous consent to command a native company of the troop.

The Missourian |Eugene P. (Eugene Percy) Lyle
Helen had once compared her to a mettlesome young horse and there was about her some quality of the male.

Moor Fires |E. H. (Emily Hilda) Young
There can be no limit to the praise earned by the mettlesome veterans of Jackson's corps, in the deadly fight at Fairview.

The History of the Confederate War, Its Causes and Its Conduct, Volume II (of 2) |George Cary Eggleston

When he drove by, the pony's right ear was flicked, to the extreme indignation of a mettlesome little animal.

The Short Works of George Meredith |George Meredith