calisthenics
Americannoun
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(used with a plural verb) gymnastic exercises designed to develop physical health and vigor, usually performed with little or no special apparatus.
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(used with a singular verb) the art, practice, or a session of such exercises.
noun
Other Word Forms
- calisthenic adjective
- calisthenical adjective
Etymology
Origin of calisthenics
1840–50; cali- (variant of calli- ) + Greek sthén ( os ) strength + -ics
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.
I believe reading books that challenge me is a great way to practice mental calisthenics.
From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 12, 2025
A calisthenics workout at home We have a third room in the crib where we keep workout equipment, so I’ve become a calisthenics freak.
From Los Angeles Times • Aug. 21, 2025
Instead, reading is like mental calisthenics for film, priming the mind for flights of imagination and empathy.
From Seattle Times • Feb. 16, 2024
The movie opens with him speed walking in a circle inside a spacious, elegantly shambolic apartment before pausing to execute some calisthenics.
From New York Times • Feb. 8, 2024
When the physical-education officer at Lowery Field ordered everyone to fall out for calisthenics one afternoon, Yossarian, the private, reported instead at the dispensary with what he said was a pain in his right side.
From "Catch-22" by Joseph Heller
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.
