definitions

sportive

[ spawr-tiv, spohr- ]
/ ˈspɔr tɪv, ˈspoʊr- /
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adjective

playful or frolicsome; jesting, jocose, or merry: a sportive puppy.
done in sport, rather than in earnest: a sportive show of affection.
pertaining to or of the nature of a sport or sports.
Biology. mutative.
Archaic. ardent; wanton.

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RELATED WORDS

boon, festive, frisky, frolicsome, game, jocular, merry, sprightly, wanton, gamesome, prankish

Nearby words

sporting chance, a, sporting dog, sporting house, sporting lady, sportingly, sportive, sportively, sports, sports bar, sports bra, sports cap

Origin of sportive

First recorded in 1580–90; sport + -ive
Related forms
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for sportive

British Dictionary definitions for sportive

sportive

/ (ˈspɔːtɪv) /

adjective

playful or joyous
done in jest rather than seriously
of, relating to, or interested in sports
obsolete wanton or amorousa sportive wench
Derived Formssportively, adverbsportiveness, noun
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 sportive

sportive

adj.

1580s, from sport + -ive. Related: Sportively; sportiveness.

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper