athletic
Americanadjective
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physically active and strong; good at athletics or sports.
an athletic child.
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of, like, or befitting an athlete.
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of or relating to athletes; involving the use of physical skills or capabilities, as strength, agility, or stamina: athletic training.
athletic sports;
athletic training.
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for athletics.
an athletic field.
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Psychology. (of a physical type) having a sturdy build or well-proportioned body structure.
adjective
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physically fit or strong; muscular or active
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of, relating to, or suitable for an athlete or for athletics
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of or relating to a person with a muscular and well-proportioned body See also somatotype
Pronunciation
See athlete.
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of athletic
First recorded in 1595–1605; from Latin āthlēticus, from Greek āthlētikós; see athlete, -ic
Explanation
If you're athletic, you have a natural talent for sports and fitness. You might jump nonstop through a strenuous aerobics class, then go run a few miles, and top it off shooting hoops with the basketball team. If you're a champion speed skater, you've most definitely got an athletic build, and while skinny jeans may not look so great on you, you probably look pretty good in running shorts. You know the ancient Greeks loved athletic competitions — after all, they invented the Olympics. Fittingly enough, the word athletic goes back to the Greek word athlein, meaning "to compete for a prize."
Vocabulary lists containing athletic
Strong
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
The tall, athletic rugby and polo fan embarked on a decade-long military career that included two Afghanistan deployments, one as a helicopter pilot.
From Barron's ● Aug. 23, 2026
Dozens of Great Britain athletes had been taking a new product that increased muscle mass and improved athletic performance – a "wonder pill" that didn't fall foul of any doping rules.
From BBC ● Aug. 20, 2026
The Unitree IPO coincided with the start of an annual robot conference in Beijing, where hundreds of robots were competing in athletic events and real-world chores such as sorting warehouse merchandise and folding laundry.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 19, 2026
Count on it if athletic directors and principals don’t take their jobs seriously to give scrutiny to transfer paperwork and make home visits.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 19, 2026
He was obviously a rabbi, and I marveled that the yeshiva had placed a rabbi instead of an athletic coach over its team.
From "The Chosen" by Chaim Potok
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
