Olympian
Americanadjective
noun
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Olympians
plural
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an Olympian deity.
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a contender in the Olympic Games.
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a native or inhabitant of Olympia.
adjective
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of or relating to Mount Olympus or to the classical Greek gods
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majestic or godlike in manner or bearing
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superior to mundane considerations, esp when impractical
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of or relating to ancient Olympia or its inhabitants
noun
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a god of Olympus
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an inhabitant or native of ancient Olympia
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a competitor in the Olympic Games
Usage
What does olympian mean? An olympian is an athlete who competes (or has competed) in the Olympic Games (popularly called the Olympics), an international athletic competition featuring multiple sporting events between athletes representing their country. The word is often capitalized. There are two related but separate events called the Olympics: one hosted in winter, called the Winter Games, and one hosted in summer, called the Summer Games (they are commonly called the Winter Olympics and the Summer Olympics). The Winter Olympics feature winter sports, including figure skating, skiing, snowboarding, ice hockey, and many others. The Summer Olympics feature traditionally warm weather and indoor sports, like track and field, gymnastics, swimming, and basketball, among many others. At the Olympics, the Olympians who finish in the top three places in each event are famously awarded Olympic medals: gold for first place, silver for second place, and bronze for third place. Olympians are often considered the best athletes in the world, and winning a medal—or simply being an olympian—is considered one of the peaks of athletic achievement. The modern Olympics are based on an ancient Greek festival and competition that’s also referred to as the Olympic Games, and competitors in these games are also referred to as olympians. Especially when it’s capitalized, the word Olympian can also be used in reference to the gods of Greek mythology, who were believed to inhabit Mount Olympus. It can be used as a noun referring to one of the gods or as an adjective to describe things involving them or resembling them. Sometimes, it’s used more generally to mean about the same thing as majestic.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of Olympian
1585–95; < Late Latin Olympiānus, equivalent to Latin Olympi ( us ) (< Greek Olýmpios, derivative of Ólympos Olympus ) + -ānus -an
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.
See Examples For:
In Greek mythology, the volcano was associated with the burial of the giants Typhon and Enceladus after they were defeated by the Olympian gods.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 14, 2026
Celebrity-led programmes still featured in the Authored Documentary category, with documentaries from Olympian Sir Chris Hoy, former Little Mix singer Jesy Nelson, and Sharon Osbourne's film about her late husband Ozzy among the nominees.
From BBC ● Sep. 9, 2026
Attorney for the District of Columbia Jeanine Pirro to prosecute David Hearn, a former Olympian who was accused of vandalizing the Reflecting Pool at the Lincoln Memorial.
From Salon ● Aug. 21, 2026
Lawyers for a former Olympian charged with damaging the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool say that the Justice Department knew or should have known for weeks that its case was flawed.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 14, 2026
Coach, serious, struts beside us—erect, glowing, looking like the Olympian he once was.
From "Black Brother, Black Brother" by Jewell Parker Rhodes
A group of current and former British Olympians and Paralympians have backed a proposed north of England bid to host the Games, claiming it has "a passion for sport like no other place".
From BBC ● Jun. 22, 2026
From 1904 to 1912, winning Olympians received solid-gold medals.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 16, 2026
At Milan Cortina, Italy’s Winter Olympians produced their best ever medal haul to finish behind only powerhouses Norway and Team USA.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 1, 2026
Knight and Bowe are not the only American Olympians whose love story has been in the spotlight.
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 19, 2026
There were other divinities in heaven besides the twelve great Olympians.
From "Mythology: Timeless Tales of Gods and Heroes" by Edith Hamilton
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.
