LIVE WIRE Synonyms: 55 Similar and Opposite Words

live wire

noun

Definition of live wire

as in pistol

a very energetic person the babysitter will have her hands full with those two little live wires

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in powerhouse

an ambitious person who eagerly goes after what is desired that new reporter on the police beat is a real live wire

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of live wire Trees and branches were taken out, and live wires went down. — The Editorial Board, Chicago Tribune, 22 June 2026 My daughter has been a live wire since she was born. — Marah Eakin, Vulture, 7 May 2026 One of the brothers used a carbon-fibre pole while attempting to get the bird down and touched the live wires on the power line, killing him instantly. — Escher Walcott, PEOPLE, 25 Apr. 2026 The Olympia is now absorbing this collective energy like a live wire. — Travel + Leisure Editors, Travel + Leisure, 15 Apr. 2026 See All Example Sentences for live wire

Recent Examples of Synonyms for live wire

Noun

In 2021, thieves entered Goodland Guns’ former location by cutting a hole in the wall and stole five pistols, four shotguns, and two rifles, according to the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.

— Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 4 Sep. 2026
References to Bond sprinkled throughout the trailer include Cage ordering that signature cocktail and packing a familiar-looking pistol, plus a gag at the end playing off Bond’s 007 designation.

— Marina Watts, Entertainment Weekly, 2 Sep. 2026

Definition of pistol

Noun

And Logitech’s own renaissance would not have been possible without rethinking its approach to the export powerhouse that strikes fear into the hearts of many Western manufacturers.

— Andrew Edgecliffe-Johnson, semafor.com, 4 Sep. 2026
The lineup featured powerhouse artists across genres and generations, including Chappell Roan, Doechii, Bikini Kill, Garbage, the Breeders, Mitski, and Not for Radio.

— Angie Martoccio, Rolling Stone, 3 Sep. 2026

Definition of powerhouse

Noun

There’s 5-year-old Ara, who has diabetes (a fact the film focuses on with a touch of heavy-handed irony), but is a numbers-crunching dynamo who does Pilates.

— Owen Gleiberman, Variety, 8 Aug. 2026
But mostly, the monarch persists because life’s job is to live; because within those thimble-size bodies hides a dynamo of survival that puts our most incredible machines to shame.

— Vann R. Newkirk II, The Atlantic, 28 July 2026

Definition of dynamo

Browse Nearby Words

live up to

live wire

live wires

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Style

“Live wire.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/live%20wire. Accessed 5 Sep. 2026.

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Synonyms of live wire

noun

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