as in playful
given to good-natured joking or teasing
a sportive pastor who began every sermon with a joke
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in playfulness
a natural disposition for playful behavior
her high-spirited sportiveness can sometimes distract her and others from serious work
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of sportive
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
The remaining lineage split into the sportive lemurs (Lepilemuridae), and the dwarf and mouse lemurs (Cheirogaleidae; right).
—Discover Magazine, 17 Mar. 2011
His actions impact the reputation of his colleagues, sportive results, and eventually can be damaging to our game.
—Ryan Gaydos, Fox News, 26 Sep. 2022
See All Example Sentences for sportive
Adjective
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
The remaining lineage split into the sportive lemurs (Lepilemuridae), and the dwarf and mouse lemurs (Cheirogaleidae; right).
—Discover Magazine, 17 Mar. 2011
His actions impact the reputation of his colleagues, sportive results, and eventually can be damaging to our game.
—Ryan Gaydos, Fox News, 26 Sep. 2022
See All Example Sentences for sportive
Recent Examples of Synonyms for sportive
Adjective
-
Johansson brings a playful, global sensibility to Greenlandic staples—using local ingredients like capelin and ptarmigan in ways that draw from both Asian and Mediterranean influences.—
Jordi Lippe-McGraw,
Forbes.com,
24 Apr. 2025
-
This playful, colorful apartment block designed by Friedensreich Hundertwasser ignores straight lines entirely and proves that architecture can be joyful rebellion.—
Lilah Ramzi,
Vogue,
24 Apr. 2025
Noun
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She’s been charged with home invasion burglary, two counts of assault, two counts of criminal mischief, terroristic threats and resisting arrest.—
David Matthews,
New York Daily News,
29 Apr. 2025
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Hartley was charged with four felony counts of criminal mischief, one count of misdemeanor battery and one count of aggravated battery.—
Christina Dugan Ramirez,
FOXNews.com,
23 Apr. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Sportive.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/sportive. Accessed 7 May. 2025.
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