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athletic

[ath-let-ik]

adjective

physically active and strong; good at athletics or sports: an athletic child.

of, like, or befitting an athlete.

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

for athletics: an athletic field.

Psychology. (of a physical type) having a sturdy build or well-proportioned body structure. Compare asthenic (def. 2), pyknic (def. 1).

Origin:
1595–1605; < Latin āthlēticus < Greek āthlētikós. See athlete, -ic

Related forms

ath·let·i·cal·ly, adverb

ath·let·i·cism

[ath-let-uh-siz-uhm] , noun

non·ath·let·ic, adjective

non·ath·let·i·cal·ly, adverb

qua·si-ath·let·ic, adjective

EXPAND

qua·si-ath·let·i·cal·ly, adverb

un·ath·let·ic, adjective

un·ath·let·i·cal·ly, adverb

COLLAPSE

Pronunciation note
See athlete.

Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2012.
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Link To athletic

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Athletic is always a great word to know.

So is callithumpian. Does it mean:

an extraordinary or unusual thing, person, or event; an exceptional example or instance.

a children's mummer's parade, as on the Fourth of July, with prizes for the best costumes.

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Example Sentences

Thompson are designing studies to learn more about the brain's influence over athletic performance.

At my large public university, the athletic programs are required to be self-sustaining.

Their comparative advantage lies in their athletic ability.

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Thompson are designing studies to learn more about the brain's influence over athletic performance.

At my large public university, the athletic programs are required to be self-sustaining.

Their comparative advantage lies in their athletic ability.

My lasting memory of this summer is more than an athletic accomplishment.

Those that have lived clean, athletic lives tend to get old and be clean and athletic.

But his athletic affiliation matters less than his track record.

Sixty years ago, the athletic cognoscenti held that running a four-minute mile was physically impossible.

Amateur athletic affairs are dull enough these days.

The athletic director did not respond to calls today.

Athletic footwear has had a major impact on fashion and consumer spending.

Although doctors recommend regular exercise to maintain a healthy heart, long-term athletic training comes with risks.

Throughout the clip, the student bragged about his athletic accomplishments and his overall success in life.

While we're mostly positive on this kicker, but the shoe isn't much of an athletic performer.

Players are arriving on campus already suffering from the aches and pains of overuse, athletic trainers report.

Disenfranchised former prisoners can be denied work in an eccentric range of jobs, from athletic trainer to funeral director.

Some people's genes are preset for maximal athletic performance.

It is not uncommon after crush injuries, falls, and athletic feats.

Sure, the procedure had been used for cosmetic purposes, but never for athletic performance.

Football and men's basketball subsidize the rest of the athletic programs.

The answer is that adjusted for number inflation, human athletic performance turns out to have been roughly constant over time.

Likewise, ground rubber adds a shock-absorbing component to athletic fields and running tracks.

Numbers from ten thousand to nearly a million can be represented by more athletic people.

Sight, particularly as it pertains to extreme athletic feats, is fast becoming overrated.

The effect didn't arise from athletic triumph alone-the emotional intensity of a win seemed to determine its electoral impact.

Great athletic shoes blend creativity, comfort, support-and science.

However, the athletic actress could clearly hold up her end of any action scene.

Neither of these sports require a large amount of athletic ability.

Traditional highland games feature a heady mix of dance, drink, and food to complement feats of athletic prowess.

While these guys might be great at athletic pursuits, their sound performance is lacking.

Cuba's government appears to have two motivations for allowing the export of its athletic treasures.

These are working great for her many athletic activities.

But the brains of the athletic mice in particular showed many more.

In this unusually readable economics tome, the authors offer a reminder that money has never been far from athletic exploits.

Some believe the quick, painless pricks also boost the animal's athletic performance.

The union of a brilliant woman and an athletic man does not always produce a brilliant and athletic child.

One was significantly more intelligent than the other, or one more athletic than the other or more driven the other.

Sports engage the athletic ability of the participant.

Right whales, for all their size, are surprisingly athletic.

Athletic scholarships would be offered much more sparingly.

There he picked up scuba diving, one of his many athletic pastimes.

They are unusually nice-looking too, and almost uniformly athletic.

After the two were banished, images of their gesture entered the iconography of athletic protest.

The swoopy aluminum frame feels athletic under you.

It's where brain turns into brawn, electronics trump athletic prowess and the arena is heavy not with.

Without them the entire athletic department would have to be subsidized or closed.

What you don't often think of are athletic feats of any measure.

The athletic director's chair is similarly lacking in diversity, the report states.

It was also applied to the bare soil of the athletic field where young female athletes breathe in this dust.

Hollywood has traditionally turned to the young and athletic for its shoot'em-ups.

Responsibilities in both undergraduate and graduate athletic training education programs.

The study notes that athletic humans can outrun horses and antelopes over extremely long distances.

They can watch a continuous blend of athletic events and music and dance.

Plus, the people here are as athletic and accommodating as any on the planet.

So more effort could be expended on athletic performance.

The day pack holds quite a bit, but it's aimed more at volume and athletic endeavors.

Great read, and a great look inside a country's elite athletic program.

Society has grown to place an emphasis on being athletic and to look down on the smart kids.

They don't rely on elaborate spreadsheets or athletic statistics or long lists of pros and cons.

Athletic performance can also deteriorate, since blood functions as the body's natural coolant.

But despite the athletic feat of these intrepid travelers, their existence is a frail one.

COLLAPSE

Collins

World English Dictionary

athletic (æθˈlɛtɪk)

—*adj*
1.	physically fit or strong; muscular or active
2.	of, relating to, or suitable for an athlete or for athletics
3.	See also somatotype of or relating to a person with a muscular and well-proportioned body

ath'letically

—*adv*

ath'leticism

—n

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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Etymonline

Word Origin & History

athletic

1630s, "pertaining to an athlete," from L. athleticus, from Gk. athletikos, from athletes (see athlete). Meaning "strong of body; vigorous; lusty; robust" [Johnson, who spells it athletick] is from 1650s. Related: Athleticism (1870); athletics (c.1730).

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"Difficulty, my brethren, is the nurse of greatness—a harsh nurse, who roughly rocks her foster-children into strength and athletic proportion."

-William Cullen Bryant

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