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sportive

[ spawr-tiv, spohr- ]
/ ˈspɔr tɪv, ˈspoʊr- /
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See synonyms for: sportive / sportively / sportiveness on Thesaurus.com

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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Origin of sportive

First recorded in 1580–90; sport + -ive

OTHER WORDS FROM sportive

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use sportive in a sentence

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 forms of sportive

sportively, 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
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