Meaning & use
athletic
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Meanings
adjectivecomparableapproving
Strong, fit and good at physical activity, often with a muscular, well-built body.
Grammar: Describes people or bodies: an athletic build, she is very athletic.
Patterns
- athletic build
- athletic ability
He has an athletic build from years of swimming.
She was a tall, athletic girl who excelled at every sport.
The cat made an athletic leap onto the shelf.
adjectivebefore a nounAmerican
Connected with sports and athletes, especially in schools and clubs.
Grammar: Always before a noun: athletic department, athletic field.
Patterns
- athletic department
- athletic scholarship
She won an athletic scholarship to a state university.
The school's athletic department organizes all team sports.
Every athletic event begins with the national anthem.
adjectivebefore a nounAmerican
Designed or suitable for sports and exercise, as in clothing or footwear.
Grammar: Often appears in shop labels: athletic shoes.
Patterns
- athletic shoes
- athletic wear
He bought a new pair of athletic shoes for the marathon.
The store sells athletic wear for runners.
Word forms
| comparative | more athletic |
|---|---|
| superlative | most athletic |
Common combinations
- athletic build
- He has the athletic build of a swimmer.
- athletic ability
- Her athletic ability won her a place on the team.
- athletic shoes
- Please wear athletic shoes for the gym class.
- athletic scholarship
- An athletic scholarship paid for his tuition.
- athletic department
- The athletic department keeps the equipment in the basement.
Synonyms and how they differ
- sporty
- Sporty is more casual and suggests someone who likes and plays sport, or a stylish look, while athletic suggests real strength and skill.
- fit
- Fit only says that someone is in good health and condition, with no suggestion of skill at sport.
- muscular
- Muscular describes only a body with large muscles, whereas athletic includes ability and agility.
- agile
- Agile focuses on quick, light movement and flexibility, not strength or sport.
Opposites
Word family
- athlete noun
- a person who is trained for sport
- athletics noun
- sports such as running and jumping, or sports in general in American usage
- athletically adverb
- in a way that shows physical skill or strength
- athleticism noun
- the quality of being strong and physically skilled
Commonly confused: athletic or atheistic? athletic or aesthetic?
athletic vs atheistic
Atheistic means denying the existence of God, and it only looks similar to athletic when written.
athletic vs aesthetic
Aesthetic relates to beauty and art, and has nothing to do with sport.
Practice
Which phrase describes a person who is strong and good at sports?
Choose one answer.
Athletic means strong and good at physical activity. Apathetic means uninterested, which is the opposite of what the sentence describes.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “athletic”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.