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athletic

/æθ(ə)ˈlɛdɪk/

/æθˈlɛtɪk/

Other forms: athletics; athletically

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."

Definitions of athletic
  1. adjective
    relating to or befitting athletics or athletes
    athletic facilities”
  2. adjective
    vigorously active
    “an athletic child”
    athletic playing”
    synonyms: acrobatic, gymnastic
    active
    characterized by energetic activity
  3. adjective
    having a sturdy and well proportioned body
    “an athletic build”
    Synonyms:
    mesomorphic, muscular
    having a robust muscular body-build characterized by predominance of structures (bone and muscle and connective tissue) developed from the embryonic mesodermal layer
Pronunciation
US

/æθ(ə)ˈlɛdɪk/

UK

/æθˈlɛtɪk/

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