UNSPORTSMANLIKE Synonyms: 36 Similar and Opposite Words

unsportsmanlike

adjective

ˌən-ˈspȯrts-mən-ˌlīk

Definition of unsportsmanlike

as in foul

not being in accordance with the rules or standards of what is fair in sport was suspended for unsportsmanlike conduct

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Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of unsportsmanlike Syracuse, who leads the country in penalties, was plagued with three unsportsmanlike penalties in the first half and eight penalties in the game for 75 yards. — ABC News, 17 Oct. 2026 Last week, Greenlaw was fined $11,941 for unsportsmanlike conduct after taunting the Broncos' sideline and head coach Sean Payton. — Armando Salguero Outkick, FOXNews.com, 12 Oct. 2026 Leipold’s unsportsmanlike conduct penalty advanced the ball to the 6-yard line. — Gary Bedore, Kansas City Star, 11 Oct. 2026 Vrabel isn’t the first coach to be hit with an unsportsmanlike penalty this season. — Saad Yousuf, New York Times, 4 Oct. 2026 See All Example Sentences for unsportsmanlike

Recent Examples of Synonyms for unsportsmanlike

Adjective

The bodies of Machado and her daughters were discovered days later after a neighbor noticed a foul odor coming from the home.

— CBS Miami Team, CBS News, 20 Oct. 2026
Caminero pulled Smith’s first-pitch splitter off the left-field foul pole for a two-run homer that gave the Rays a 5-1 lead.

— ABC News, ABC News, 19 Oct. 2026

Definition of foul

Adjective

Some also called for a reform of the university admissions system, seen by many as complex and unfair.

— Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 23 Oct. 2026
Trump has imposed new tariffs on Brazilian goods this year, including a 25% levy on some products over what the US described as unfair trade practices.

— Alessandra Freitas, CNN Money, 23 Oct. 2026

Definition of unfair

Adjective

The polls still show a close-range contest, but in the increasingly nasty ad war, the spending suggests a far more lopsided fight.

— Philip Elliott, Time, 19 Oct. 2026
Officers then cuffed the youngster as he was loaded into an ambulance and hospitalized for a fractured femur and a nasty bruise on his head, according to the lawsuit, which was filed by the teen’s dad, Mahmoud Saleh, in Brooklyn Federal Court.

— John Annese, New York Daily News, 18 Oct. 2026

Definition of nasty

Browse Nearby Words

unspools

unsportsmanlike

unspotted

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“Unsportsmanlike.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/unsportsmanlike. Accessed 26 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of unsportsmanlike

adjective

Example Sentences

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