gymnastic

American  

[jim-nas-tik] / dʒɪmˈnæs tɪk /

Also gymnastical

adjective

1. of or relating to physical exercises that develop and demonstrate strength, balance, and agility, especially such exercises performed mostly on special equipment.

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gymnastic British  

/ dʒɪmˈnæstɪk /

adjective

1. of, relating to, like, or involving gymnastics

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Other Word Forms

• gymnastically adverb
• ungymnastic adjective

Etymology

Origin of gymnastic

1565–75; < Middle French gymnastique < Latin gymnasticus < Greek gymnastikós, equivalent to gymnáz ( ein ) ( see gymnasium ¹) + -tikos -tic

Example Sentences

Routines are made up of familiar stunts, jumps, gymnastic tumbles and classic cheer chants, but modified to account for the needs of teammates.

From BBC • Apr. 22, 2026

But the Forest Service is by far the largest employer of wildland firefighters, and it has long used gymnastic arithmetic to paint an optimistic picture of its staffing.

From Salon • Jul. 24, 2025

Throughout the washes of guffaws, chuckles and hysterics that accompanied Eddie Izzard’s set on Saturday night at the Hollywood Bowl, the British comedian, actor, logician and mimic performed gymnastic non-sequitur sequences and nuanced physical comedy.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 7, 2023

The sequence is a doozy, with long takes and gymnastic camera movements.

From New York Times • Feb. 3, 2023

He used to take gymnastic classes until they got to be too expensive, and I think he secretly wanted to be a personal trainer.

From "A Very Large Expanse of Sea" by Tahereh Mafi