athletic

American  

[ath-let-ik] / æθˈlɛt ɪk /

adjective

1. physically active and strong; good at athletics or sports.

   an athletic child.

2. of, like, or befitting an athlete.

3. of or relating to athletes; involving the use of physical skills or capabilities, as strength, agility, or stamina: athletic training.

   athletic sports;

   athletic training.

4. for athletics.

   an athletic field.

5. Psychology. (of a physical type) having a sturdy build or well-proportioned body structure.

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athletic British  

/ æθˈlɛtɪk /

adjective

1. physically fit or strong; muscular or active

2. of, relating to, or suitable for an athlete or for athletics

3. of or relating to a person with a muscular and well-proportioned body See also somatotype

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Pronunciation

See athlete.

Other Word Forms

• athletically adverb
• athleticism noun
• nonathletic adjective
• nonathletically adverb
• quasi-athletic adjective
• quasi-athletically adverb
• unathletic adjective
• unathletically adverb

Etymology

Origin of athletic

First recorded in 1595–1605; from Latin āthlēticus, from Greek āthlētikós; see athlete, -ic

Explanation

If you're athletic, you have a natural talent for sports and fitness. You might jump nonstop through a strenuous aerobics class, then go run a few miles, and top it off shooting hoops with the basketball team. If you're a champion speed skater, you've most definitely got an athletic build, and while skinny jeans may not look so great on you, you probably look pretty good in running shorts. You know the ancient Greeks loved athletic competitions — after all, they invented the Olympics. Fittingly enough, the word athletic goes back to the Greek word athlein, meaning "to compete for a prize."

Example Sentences

The ranks of the Bull Gators—that’s the list of top boosters of the University of Florida’s athletic programs—were overrun with citrus families.

From Slate • Apr. 20, 2026

Gemini, DeepSeek, Meta AI, ChatGPT and Grok were tested across cancer, vaccines, stem cells, nutrition, and athletic performance.

From BBC • Apr. 18, 2026

Executives justified that expansion over the past few years by arguing that the definition of sport had expanded, as athleisure blurred the lines between athletic and casual activity.

From MarketWatch • Apr. 15, 2026

More than 40% of students play a team sport, and St. Michael’s plowed part of a $38 million loan into new locker rooms in the athletic facility, as well as IT upgrades on campus.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 9, 2026

There were times during athletic contests when two of the athletes became aware that the true contest was between them and that their team would win or lose according to the quality of their performance.

From "The Great Santini" by Pat Conroy

Related Words

• active
• energetic
• muscular
• powerful
• robust
• strong
• vigorous