sportive

[spawr-tiv, spohr-]

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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.

Origin of sportive

First recorded in 1580–90; sport + -ive

Related formsspor·tive·ly, adverbspor·tive·ness; Archaic. sport·a·bil·i·ty, nounun·spor·tive, adjectiveun·spor·tive·ly, adverbun·spor·tive·ness, noun

Synonyms for sportive

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1. jocular, gay, sprightly, frisky.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Related Words for sportive

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

Examples from the Web for sportive

Historical Examples of sportive

Such characters are not ruled by fate but by a sportive chance.
The American Mind
Bliss Perry
He plays with two sportive spaniels, and cries "Down, Sir, down."
Ireland as It Is
Robert John Buckley (AKA R.J.B.)
Fred shook it as he wished, though he was far from feeling in a sportive mood.
The Hunters of the Ozark
Edward S. Ellis
During this sportive encounter, Mr. Regulus came up to greet me.
Ernest Linwood
Caroline Lee Hentz
It is the only time I ever saw this hawk in a sportive or aggressive mood.
The Wit of a Duck and Other Papers
John Burroughs

British Dictionary definitions for sportive

sportive

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

adj.

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