sportive

adjective

sport·​ive ˈspȯr-tiv 

1

a

: frolicsome, playful

b

: ardent, wanton

2

: of or relating to sports and especially field sports

sportively adverb

sportiveness noun

Synonyms of sportive

• playful

Examples of sportive in a Sentence

a sportive pastor who began every sermon with a joke

Recent Examples on the Web

In 2018, Brooke Eby, a sportive goofball with strawberry-blond hair, started to feel as though her left foot couldn’t keep up. — Gideon Lewis-Kraus, The New Yorker, 19 June 2023

Revel, too, in more sportive jaunts, such as volcano hiking, horseback-riding, zip-lining, rappelling down waterfalls, fishing and white-water river rafting. — Laura Manske, Forbes, 7 Mar. 2023

While English accents add an element of charm, the Boxing Day coda seems an odd way to wrap things, at least for those who know nothing of such sportive traditions. — Peter Debruge, Variety, 19 Oct. 2024

The rarest is the Sahafary sportive lemur (Lepilemur septentrionalis), found in a tiny area in northern Madagascar. — Anna Funk, Discover Magazine, 16 Nov. 2020

Word History

First Known Use

1593, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Rhymes for sportive

• abortive
• supportive

Kids Definition

sportive

adjective

sport·​ive ˈspōrt-iv 

ˈspȯrt-

: frolicsome, playful

sportively adverb

sportiveness noun