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Synonyms

sporty

American  
[spawr-tee, spohr-] / ˈspɔr ti, ˈspoʊr- /

adjective

Informal.
sportier, sportiest

  1. flashy; showy.

  2. smart in dress, behavior, etc.

  3. like or befitting a sportsman.

  4. dissipated; fast.

    a sporty crowd.

  5. designed for or suitable for sport.

sporty British  
/ ˈspɔːtɪ /

adjective

  1. (of a person) fond of sport or outdoor activities

  2. (of clothes) having the appearance of sportswear

  3. (of a car) having the performance or appearance of a sports car

"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

noun

  1. informal a young person who typically wears sportswear, is competitive about sport , and takes an interest in his or her fitness

"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

Other Word Forms

  • sportily adverb
  • sportiness noun

Etymology

Origin of sporty

First recorded in 1885–90; sport + -y 1

Explanation

Look down. Are you wearing sneakers? Ready to kick a ball, shoot some hoops, or go watch a game? If so, you’re sporty! Sporty things are related to athletics. You are sporty if you love sports, dress like you love sports, or behave like a good sport by saying “good game” even when you lose. Sporty can also describe something fast and flashy, like a sporty red convertible. The oldest recorded meaning of sporty is "sportsmanlike," from the late nineteenth century.

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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.

To advertise her business, she affixed a decal and phone number to her white 1984 Pontiac Fiero, a sporty two-seater with retractable headlights.

From Slate • Apr. 6, 2026

Kevin Mathew of Houston was in the market last February for a Hyundai Elantra N, a sporty version of the four-door sedan, when he decided to give Amazon’s fledgling auto-sales program a try.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 20, 2026

Milan's menswear fashion week began on Friday, with very wintry, sporty shows from Ralph Lauren and Dsquared2.

From Barron's • Jan. 16, 2026

"We are such a sporty nation, we love to compete – and when we do something, we really want to be the best in the world in it."

From BBC • Dec. 21, 2025

We all knew I wasn’t very sporty, but we didn’t usually say it out loud.

From "The Season of Styx Malone" by Kekla Magoon

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.