athletic

[ath-let-ik]

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR athletic ON THESAURUS.COM

adjective

physically active and strong; good at athletics or sports: an athletic child.

of, like, or befitting an athlete.

of or relating to athletes; involving the use of physical skills or capabilities, as strength, agility, or stamina: athletic sports; athletic training.

for athletics: an athletic field.

Psychology. (of a physical type) having a sturdy build or well-proportioned body structure.Compare asthenic(def 2), pyknic(def 1).

Origin of athletic

1595–1605; < Latin āthlēticus < Greek āthlētikós. See athlete, -ic

Related formsath·let·i·cal·ly, adverbath·let·i·cism

[ath-let-uh-siz-uh m] /æθˈlɛt əˌsɪz əm/, nounnon·ath·let·ic, adjectivenon·ath·let·i·cal·ly, adverbqua·si-ath·let·ic, adjectivequa·si-ath·let·i·cal·ly, adverbun·ath·let·ic, adjectiveun·ath·let·i·cal·ly, adverb

Pronunciation note

See athlete.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for athletic

Contemporary Examples of athletic

With all due respect to his athletic skill, Gronkowski is not high on the list of NFL players that elicit carnal thoughts.
‘A Gronking to Remember’ Speed Read: 8 Naughtiest Bits
Emily Shire
January 7, 2015
He is an immensely talented quarterback who has dedicated his entire life to athletic excellence and discipline.
Justin Bieber Isn’t Even 21, Yet Makes More Money Than Meryl Streep
Amy Zimmerman
November 25, 2014
The athletic community was putting pressure on him to say that he was pro-Olympics and pro-athletes.
‘To Russia With Love’: Can Johnny Weir Save Russia’s Gays?
Kevin Fallon
October 29, 2014
Horace was athletic and clever, known, probably apocryphally, as the fastest cotton picker in Clay County.
Those Kansas City Blues: A Family History
Katie Baker
October 24, 2014
Princess Charlene of Monaco, the athletic, South African bride of Prince Albert, is also with child.
Princess Charlene's Monaco Nightmare
Tom Sykes
September 15, 2014

Historical Examples of athletic

He was an athletic man, and the indolence of camp life did not suit him as it did Yates.
In the Midst of Alarms
Robert Barr
"Why, you've been made an honorary member of the athletic committee," Ned went on.
Frank Roscoe's Secret
Allen Chapman
On their right and left pressed the men, an athletic, hearty, well-fed gang.
Homeward Bound
James Fenimore Cooper
It lacks the neatness, the athletic movement of Paine's English.
Shelley, Godwin and Their Circle
H. N. Brailsford
You never were in the athletic set, and so it is possible that you don't.
The Stark Munro Letters
J. Stark Munro

British Dictionary definitions for athletic

athletic

adjective

physically fit or strong; muscular or active

of, relating to, or suitable for an athlete or for athletics

of or relating to a person with a muscular and well-proportioned bodySee also somatotype

Derived Formsathletically, adverbathleticism, noun

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for athletic

adj.

1630s (athletical is from 1590s), "pertaining to an athlete," from Latin athleticus, from Greek athletikos, from athletes (see athlete). Meaning "strong of body; vigorous; lusty; robust" [Johnson, who spells it athletick] is from 1650s.