Meanings
athletic1
comparative more athletic · superlative most athletic · alternative obsolete athletick
- not comparableHaving 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.
1 more example
An athletic kid from New Jersey, Fischer was known as a bold risk taker — they called him “the fallingest man in climbing” — until an old-school cragger taught him the Zen of controlled ascent.
2008 March 2, Bruce Barcott, “The Higher They Climb”, in The New York Times, archived from the original on 02 Jan 2018 - 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.
- video gamesOf 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.
2018, Super Mario Bros. Encyclopedia, Milwaukie: Dark Horse, →OCLC, page 651 more example
Mario levels are usually indicated to belong to one of five types (overworld, underground, athletic, castle, underwater)². The type determines the aesthetic style of the level, but also affects the challenges that are posed. For example, athletic levels usually contain platforms that are spaced far apart, as well as moving platforms. They thus require precise and timed jumps to traverse.
2019, S. M. Lucas, V. Volz, “Tile pattern KL-divergence for analysing and evolving game levels”, in Proceedings of the Genetic and Evolutionary Computation Conference, page 171
plural athletics · alternative obsolete athletick
- A muscular, large-boned person, in the typology of Ernst Kretschmer.
Athletic2
plural Athletics
- ball gamesA player on the team Oakland Athletics.
Smith became an Athletic as a result of a pre-season trade.
- abbreviationuncountableball gamesShort for Athletic Club, a Spanish professional club more often known in English as Athletic Bilbao.
Synonyms & antonyms
adjectivehaving a sturdy and well proportioned body
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
- Proto-Indo-European*h₂weh₁-
- Ancient Greekἆθλον (âthlon)
- Ancient Greekᾱ̓θλέω (āthléō)
- Ancient Greekἀθλητής (athlētḗs)
- Ancient Greekᾱ̓θλητῐκός (āthlētĭkós)
- Latināthlēticu
- Middle Frenchathletique
- Englishathletic
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”).
More words from Middle French, Latin, Ancient Greek
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Ancient Greek ἀθλητικός
- ἀθλητικός (athlētikós)having to do with athletes
Bulgarian атлетски, атлетичен
- атлетски (atletski)having to do with athletes
- атлетичен (atletičen)physically active
- атлетичен (atletičen)having a muscular, well developed body, being in shape
Catalan atlètic, atlètic
- atlètichaving to do with athletes
- atlèticphysically active
- atlètichaving a muscular, well developed body, being in shape
Dutch atletisch, atletisch
- atletischhaving to do with athletes
- atletischphysically active
- atletischhaving a muscular, well developed body, being in shape
Esperanto atleta, atleta
- atletahaving to do with athletes
- atletaphysically active
- atletahaving a muscular, well developed body, being in shape
- atletaan attribute of a motion or play which requires fine physical ability
Finnish yleisurheilijoiden, atleettien
- yleisurheilijoidenhaving to do with athletes
- atleettienhaving to do with athletes
- atleettinenhaving to do with athletes
- atleettinenphysically active
- urheilullinenphysically active
- atleettinenhaving a muscular, well developed body, being in shape
- atleettinenan attribute of a motion or play which requires fine physical ability
- urheilullinenan attribute of a motion or play which requires fine physical ability
French athlétique, sportif
- athlétiquehaving to do with athletes
- sportifhaving to do with athletes
- athlétiquehaving a muscular, well developed body, being in shape
German athletisch, sportlich
- athletischhaving to do with athletes
- sportlichhaving to do with athletes
Greek αθλητικός, αθλητικός
- αθλητικός (athlitikós)having to do with athletes
- αθλητικός (athlitikós)having a muscular, well developed body, being in shape
Hungarian atlétikai, atletikus
- atlétikaihaving to do with athletes
- atletikusphysically active
- atletikushaving a muscular, well developed body, being in shape
- atletikusan attribute of a motion or play which requires fine physical ability
Irish lúthchleasach
- lúthchleasachhaving to do with athletes
Italian atletico, atletico
- atleticohaving to do with athletes
- atleticophysically active
- sportivophysically active
- atleticohaving a muscular, well developed body, being in shape
- atleticoan attribute of a motion or play which requires fine physical ability
Japanese 強壮, 強壮
- 強壮 (kyōsō)physically active
- 強壮 (kyōsō)having a muscular, well developed body, being in shape
Norwegian Bokmål atletisk, veltrent
- atletiskphysically active
- veltrenthaving a muscular, well developed body, being in shape
- veltrenahaving a muscular, well developed body, being in shape
- veltrenethaving a muscular, well developed body, being in shape
- atletiskhaving a muscular, well developed body, being in shape
Polish sportowy, atletyczny
- sportowyhaving to do with athletes
- atletycznyhaving to do with athletes
- atletycznyphysically active
- sportowyphysically active
- wysportowanyhaving a muscular, well developed body, being in shape
- atletycznyhaving a muscular, well developed body, being in shape
Portuguese atlético, atlético
- atléticohaving to do with athletes
- atléticohaving a muscular, well developed body, being in shape
Romanian atletic, atletic
- atletichaving to do with athletes
- atletichaving a muscular, well developed body, being in shape
Russian атлети́ческий, спорти́вный
- атлети́ческий (atletíčeskij)having to do with athletes
- спорти́вный (sportívnyj)having to do with athletes
- атлети́чный (atletíčnyj)physically active
- богаты́рский (bogatýrskij)having a muscular, well developed body, being in shape
- атлети́ческий (atletíčeskij)having a muscular, well developed body, being in shape
Spanish atlético, atlético
- atléticohaving to do with athletes
- atléticophysically active
- atléticohaving a muscular, well developed body, being in shape
Swedish atletisk
- atletiskhaving a muscular, well developed body, being in shape
Welsh mabolgampaidd, athletaidd
- mabolgampaiddhaving to do with athletes
- athletaiddhaving to do with athletes
- heinihaving a muscular, well developed body, being in shape
- ystwythhaving a muscular, well developed body, being in shape
Rhymes & wordplay
Rhymes with athletic
Anagrams
Cite this entry
athletic. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/athletic
“athletic.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/athletic. Accessed November 3, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “athletic,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/athletic.
Source: athletic on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.