athletic

adjective

ath·​let·​ic ath-ˈle-tik How to pronounce athletic (audio)
nonstandard
ˌa-thə-ˈle- How to pronounce athletic (audio)
1
: of or relating to athletes or athletics
an athletic scholarship
athletic teams
athletic events
2
a
: characteristic of an athlete
athletic talent
a strong, athletic build
b
: vigorous, active
an athletic lifestyle
c
: active or gifted in sports, games, or exercises
He's not very athletic.
3
: used by athletes
athletic shoes/equipment
the school's athletic fields
4
athletically adverb

Examples of athletic in a Sentence

They each received an athletic scholarship to the school. Students can get discount tickets for all athletic events. His athletic career spanned three decades. She has great athletic ability. She's tall and has an athletic build.
Recent Examples on the Web With her height, athletic frame and spot-on fashion sense, the five-time Grand Slam champion can really pull off the darker locks, in our humble opinion. Madeleine Marr, Miami Herald, 7 Mar. 2024 Sources inside and outside the athletic department told the Union-Tribune that Ohio State, which parted ways with head coach Chris Holtman and his $3.5 million annual salary last month, inquired about Dutcher’s availability. Mark Zeigler, San Diego Union-Tribune, 6 Mar. 2024 Tews also called on his athletic prowess, honed from playing football from a young age. Erik Piepenburg, New York Times, 5 Mar. 2024 Arizona’s Robert Robbins is highly engaged, to the point that he was viewed as the de facto athletic director during Heeke’s tenure. Jon Wilner, The Mercury News, 5 Mar. 2024 For schools that aren't generating a lot of revenue from their athletic programs — which is most of them — a strike may havenegligible financial impact. Andrea Hsu, NPR, 5 Mar. 2024 At the time, David was the principal and then athletic director of Damascus Christian School, while Rachel was a substitute teacher and coach, according to the sheriff. Liam Quinn, Peoplemag, 4 Mar. 2024 Cesar Chavez's varsity football coach and athletic director resigned in September. The Arizona Republic, 4 Mar. 2024 Although Coe spoke of testosterone as being the key determinant in performance, there remains debate in the scientific community about whether androgenic hormones like testosterone serve as useful markers of athletic advantage. Amanda Davies, CNN, 2 Mar. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'athletic.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

see athlete

First Known Use

1585, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of athletic was in 1585

Dictionary Entries Near athletic

Cite this Entry

“Athletic.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/athletic. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

athletic

adjective
ath·​let·​ic ath-ˈlet-ik How to pronounce athletic (audio)
1
: of, relating to, or characteristic of athletes or athletics
2
3
athletically adverb

Medical Definition

athletic

adjective
ath·​let·​ic ath-ˈlet-ik How to pronounce athletic (audio)
: characterized by heavy frame, large chest, and powerful muscular development : mesomorphic
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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