athletic
[ath-let-ik]
- 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).
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Origin of athletic
Pronunciation note
See athlete.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018
Examples from the Web for non-athletic
Historical Examples
Her sister Ellen is of an opposite temperament, pale, slight, and non-athletic.
Essays on Modern NovelistsWilliam Lyon Phelps
athletic
- 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
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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 non-athletic
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.
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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper