plucky
PLUK-eeadjMeaning brave and spirited, especially against the odds
Memory hook PLUCKY DUCKY. The smallest duckling plucks up her courage and leaps into the pond first, ahead of all the big ducks. That brave little bird is plucky.
The plucky little goalie stopped shot after shot from the older team.
In context The puppy was the smallest in the litter, but it was plucky: it marched right up to the big farm dogs and demanded a share of the bone.
Similar spirited, gutsy, brave, spunky
Opposite timid, fainthearted, cowardly