sportsmanship
Americannoun
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the character, practice, or skill of a sportsman.
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sportsmanlike conduct, as fairness, courtesy, being a cheerful loser, etc.
Etymology
Origin of sportsmanship
Explanation
Sportsmanship is a type of fairness expected of athletes. If you never cheat or act rude while playing a game, you are modeling good sportsmanship. Sportsmanship has to do with how people play games, not if they win or lose games. You could win and have terrible sportsmanship if you cheated, yelled at the referees, or refused to shake hands after the game. Sportsmanship has to do with fairness and manners; both winners and losers can be good or bad sportsmen. Women show sportsmanship too, of course. If you have good sportsmanship, you respect the game, your teammates, the other team, and the fans too.
Vocabulary lists containing sportsmanship
Vocabulary of the Summer Olympics
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Father's Day Words
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Physical Education - Introductory
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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.
One of the many reasons Anze Kopitar is my favorite player is that he plays the game the way it should be, with class and sportsmanship.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 18, 2026
But his defiance prompted a lengthy news cycle in which the 72-year-old coach was cooked on social media, his actions dissected under umbrellas of sportsmanship, race, and mansplaining.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 5, 2026
Despite his disappointment, Djokovic showed his sportsmanship by clambering over the net to warmly hug Alcaraz on creating a slice of history.
From BBC • Feb. 1, 2026
The music swells further as he reflects on how crushed he was to lose his job over what his lawyers called a “silent or quiet prayer of thanksgiving for player safety, sportsmanship, and spirited competition.”
From Slate • Oct. 1, 2025
So when I took time out of my busy schedule and burdensome duties to attend a middle school basketball game, I expected to see orderly students, good sportsmanship, and happy alumni.
From "Ungifted" by Gordon Korman
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.
