sportsmanship
Americannoun
-
the character, practice, or skill of a sportsman.
-
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
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
Father's Day Words
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
Physical Education - Introductory
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
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.
Tony Crittendon, the assigner of football officials for the City Section, credited the improved sportsmanship to players, coaches and officials.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 25, 2026
Critics dinged the Argentine squad for poor sportsmanship in the wake of the loss.
From Barron's ● Jul. 26, 2026
And the No. 1 reason is sportsmanship, an umbrella term for bad behavior by parents, spectators, coaches and players.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 14, 2026
Last week, the beloved Sesame Street character attempted what seemed like a harmless gesture of sportsmanship, posting support for both teams competing in the Finals.
From Salon ● Jun. 7, 2026
A sign of sportsmanship and, thank goodness, a sign we were done.
From "When I Was the Greatest" by Jason Reynolds
Random Word
Spin the wheel and learn a new word!
Get a wordDefinitions 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.
