Meaning & use
athleticism
Last updated
Meanings
noununcountable
The combination of speed, strength, balance and coordination that makes someone good at physical activity.
Grammar: Uncountable, so it takes no plural or a/an: her athleticism impressed scouts.
Patterns
- athleticism in something
- someone's athleticism
The scouts were struck by the young goalkeeper's athleticism.
Gymnastics demands athleticism as well as artistry.
His athleticism let him recover from the stumble and still win.
noununcountable
An athletic quality in a performance or movement, such as dance or acting, even when it is not a sport.
Grammar: Used about the look of a performance: the athleticism of the choreography.
Patterns
- the athleticism of something
Critics praised the athleticism of the new ballet.
The film's fight scenes were full of athleticism.
Common combinations
- natural athleticism
- She has natural athleticism and picks up any sport quickly.
- raw athleticism
- The rookie relies on raw athleticism more than technique.
- remarkable athleticism
- He showed remarkable athleticism for a man of his size.
- display athleticism
- The dancers displayed athleticism throughout the show.
- combine athleticism with skill
- The best players combine athleticism with skill.
Synonyms and how they differ
- agility
- Agility is narrower, covering only quickness and ease of movement, whereas athleticism also includes strength and stamina.
- fitness
- Fitness describes overall health from training, and does not imply natural ability the way athleticism does.
- prowess
- Prowess is skill at something and need not be physical.
- physicality
- Physicality stresses bodily force and contact, while athleticism includes grace and speed.
Opposites
Word family
- athlete noun
- a person who competes in sport
- athletic adjective
- fit, strong and good at sport
- athletics noun
- sports, or track and field in British usage
- unathletic adjective
- not good at sports
Commonly confused: athleticism or athletics?
athleticism vs athletics
Athletics is the group of sports itself, while athleticism is the physical quality that makes someone good at them.
Practice
The coach admired the striker's speed and balance, saying her ___ set her apart from other players.
Choose one answer.
The blank needs a noun for the quality of being physically gifted, which is athleticism. Athletics is a group of sports, athlete is a person, and athletic is an adjective.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “athleticism”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.