Perky means jaunty and full of pep. A perky greeting, perky and bright, feeling perky.
The image is a small bird cocking its head, which is exactly the brisk brightness the word carries. It is affectionate, and it is one of the few words for cheerfulness that does not sound faintly sarcastic when said about somebody early in the morning.
1adjectiveperkyJaunty and full of pep.
“She was perky and cheerful even at six in the morning.”
perky is a quality.
From perk + -y.
Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA