unathletic

adjective

un·​ath·​let·​ic ˌən-ath-ˈle-tik How to pronounce unathletic (audio)
 nonstandard  -ˌa-thə-ˈle-
: lacking the qualities (such as agility or muscular strength) characteristic of an athlete : not athletic
an unathletic physique
unathletically
ˌən-ath-ˈle-ti-k(ə-)lē How to pronounce unathletic (audio)
 nonstandard  -ˌa-thə-ˈle-
adverb
unathleticism
ˌən-ath-ˈle-tə-ˌsi-zəm How to pronounce unathletic (audio)
 nonstandard  -ˌa-thə-ˈle-
noun

Examples of unathletic in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web Hopelessly unathletic and bad at sports, Sandy felt alienated by his family his entire life. Joe Otterson, Variety, 1 Feb. 2024 Researchers found that, over the course of an academic year, middle schoolers grew increasingly unpopular and more likely to misuse alcohol if they were considered unattractive and unathletic, and that such shortcomings are no longer seen as gender-specific. Rafil Kroll-Zaidi, Harper's Magazine, 16 Oct. 2023 The outfit was far cry from a soccer uniform, and aside from the shoes themselves, an unathletic ensemble. Megan O'Sullivan, Vogue, 18 Aug. 2023 The romantic comedy tells the body-empowerment story of notoriously unathletic Whitney Carmichael, played by Rachel Boudwin, who begins to fall for her off-limits personal trainer, Axel (Tanner), after signing up for an intense summer boot camp to reinvent herself. Todd Spangler, Variety, 18 Oct. 2022 While Joel Bitonio, JC Tretter and Wyatt Teller might disagree about the unathletic part, the bigger point here is playing someone of Clowney’s stature inside on the defensive line in certain situations is an intriguing idea for defensive coordinator Joe Woods. Dan Labbe, cleveland, 26 Aug. 2021 My comparatively unathletic brother would get beaten by thousands of women in a mile-long race. Steve Magness, The Atlantic, 29 Sep. 2022 Stocky by build and seemingly unathletic by approach, Douglas could probe with the best of them, all the way to an 18.5 scoring average in 1991-92. Ira Winderman, Sun Sentinel, 19 Sep. 2022 At a shirts-and-skins game of gladiator, while another character laments the cruelty of forcing all the unathletic students to be skins, Rowley is off to the side, playfully manipulating his fat folds. Julian Towers, The New Yorker, 26 Jan. 2022

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'unathletic.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1759, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of unathletic was in 1759

Dictionary Entries Near unathletic

Cite this Entry

“Unathletic.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/unathletic. Accessed 28 Mar. 2024.

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