athletic
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athletic¹
- /æθˈlɛt.ɪk/ UK
Rhymes with -ɛtɪk
Where it comes from
Borrowed from Middle French athletique and Latin āthlēticus, from Ancient Greek ἀθλητικός (athlētikós, “relating to an athlete”), from ἀθλητής (athlētḗs, “athlete”): equivalent to athlete + -ic. For more, see athlete.
The Super Mario sense is effectively a reborrowing of Japanese アスレチック (asurechikku, “obstacle course”), originally borrowed from English athletic; this sense was itself originally a clipping of the genericized wasei eigo trademark フィールドアスレチック (fīrudo asurechikku, “Field Athletic”).
adjective more athletic · most athletic · athletick
- Having to do with athletes. Are you a member of the American Athletic Association?
- Physically active. Since you're such an athletic person, you may wish to consider joining.
- Having a muscular, well developed body, being in shape. You have such an athletic build—you must work out regularly.
- An attribute of a motion or play which requires fine physical ability. The center fielder made an athletic play to snatch the ball from over the fence.
- Of a level in a Super Mario game: with an emphasis on platforming challenge, often involving precise jumps between floating platforms above a bottomless pit, and having upbeat background music. An athletic course in which Mario must traverse rotating lifts and stretch blocks.
noun athletics · athletick
- A muscular, large-boned person, in the typology of Ernst Kretschmer.
Athletic²
noun Athletics
- A player on the team Oakland Athletics. Smith became an Athletic as a result of a pre-season trade.
- Short for Athletic Club, a Spanish professional club more often known in English as Athletic Bilbao.
Thesaurus
Closest in meaning: gymnastic, acrobatic, active, muscular, mesomorphic, sports, sport, sporting, athlete, gymnasium, exercise, gym, boxing, track, movement, agile
Translations
Every language
adj having to do with athletes
| Español | atlético |
|---|---|
| Português | atlético |
| Français | athlétique, sportif |
| Deutsch | athletisch, sportlich |
| Italiano | atletico |
| Ελληνικά | αθλητικός athlitikós |
| Română | atletic |
| Русский | атлети́ческий atletíčeskij, спорти́вный sportívnyj |
adj physically active
| Español | atlético |
|---|---|
| 日本語 | 強壮 kyōsō |
| Italiano | atletico, sportivo |
| Русский | атлети́чный atletíčnyj |
adj having a muscular, well developed body, being in shape
| Español | atlético |
|---|---|
| 日本語 | 強壮 kyōsō |
| Português | atlético |
| Français | athlétique |
| Italiano | atletico |
| Ελληνικά | αθλητικός athlitikós |
| Română | atletic |
| Русский | богаты́рский bogatýrskij, атлети́ческий atletíčeskij |
adj an attribute of a motion or play which requires fine physical ability
| Italiano | atletico |
|---|
Talk about this word "athletic." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/athletic. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026. athletic. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/athletic "athletic." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/athletic.Cite this
@misc{athletic_2026,
title = {athletic},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/athletic},
urldate = {2026-11-06}
}
