as in playful
given to good-natured joking or teasing
a sportive pastor who began every sermon with a joke
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Recent Examples of sportive
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
That was true even in extremely endangered ones such as the northern sportive lemur (Lepilemur septentrionalis) of which only 40 are known to exist, all within 12 square kilometers of Madagascar.
—Byelizabeth Pennisi, science.org, 1 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
The rarest is the Sahafary sportive lemur (Lepilemur septentrionalis), found in a tiny area in northern Madagascar.
—Anna Funk, Discover Magazine, 16 Nov. 2020
See All Example Sentences for sportive
Gideon Lewis-Kraus, The New Yorker, 19 June 2023
That was true even in extremely endangered ones such as the northern sportive lemur (Lepilemur septentrionalis) of which only 40 are known to exist, all within 12 square kilometers of Madagascar.
—Byelizabeth Pennisi, science.org, 1 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
The rarest is the Sahafary sportive lemur (Lepilemur septentrionalis), found in a tiny area in northern Madagascar.
—Anna Funk, Discover Magazine, 16 Nov. 2020
See All Example Sentences for sportive
Recent Examples of Synonyms for sportive
playful
Adjective
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And based on the tight bonds he's formed with his costars (not to mention lots of playful, platonic PDA), the feeling is very mutual.—
Julie Jordan,
PEOPLE,
4 Nov. 2025
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Outfielder Kiké Hernández had some fun at Drake’s expense and took a playful shot at Drizzy when addressing the Dodger Stadium crowd on the mic.—
Michael Saponara,
Billboard,
4 Nov. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Sportive.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/sportive. Accessed 14 Nov. 2025.
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