as in foul
not being in accordance with the rules or standards of what is fair in sport
was suspended for unsportsmanlike conduct
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of unsportsmanlike
Play nice Eagles starting safety C.J. Gardner-Johnson got ejected after drawing his second unsportsmanlike play of the game — one of 10 penalties for the Birds.
—
Isaac Avilucea, Axios, 24 Jan. 2025
Unnecessary roughness: This penalty is called when a player’s activity is deemed overly aggressive, dangerous or unsportsmanlike.
—Joseph Hernandez, Kansas City Star, 17 Jan. 2025
The celebration will now incur a 15-yard unsportsmanlike penalty, due to being classified as a violent gesture.
—Lawrence Dow, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 27 Mar. 2025
The closest the teams came was when Trocheck and Severson both went off the ice for unsportsmanlike conduct, resulting in four-on-four play.
—Peter Baugh, The Athletic, 9 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for unsportsmanlike
Isaac Avilucea, Axios, 24 Jan. 2025
Unnecessary roughness: This penalty is called when a player’s activity is deemed overly aggressive, dangerous or unsportsmanlike.
—Joseph Hernandez, Kansas City Star, 17 Jan. 2025
The celebration will now incur a 15-yard unsportsmanlike penalty, due to being classified as a violent gesture.
—Lawrence Dow, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 27 Mar. 2025
The closest the teams came was when Trocheck and Severson both went off the ice for unsportsmanlike conduct, resulting in four-on-four play.
—Peter Baugh, The Athletic, 9 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for unsportsmanlike
Recent Examples of Synonyms for unsportsmanlike
Adjective
-
Millions of Americans have experienced foul car odors from dirty air filters.—
Charles Singh,
USA Today,
30 Apr. 2025
-
However, the way this is happening has the vibe of last year’s midseason adjustment, when the NBA decided to enforce foul rules differently and turned the game more physical with time still to go in the regular season.—
The Athletic NBA Staff,
New York Times,
30 Apr. 2025
Adjective
-
However, a new study claims this popular AI ranking platform is rife with unfair practices, favoring large companies that just so happen to rank near the top of the index.—
ArsTechnica,
ArsTechnica,
1 May 2025
-
The union filed some 90 unfair labor practice complaints against Starbucks with the National Labor Relations Board and launched a five-day strike leading up to Christmas Day in major cities, including several stores in Los Angeles.—
Suhauna Hussain,
Los Angeles Times,
1 May 2025
Adjective
-
Louisville police say anything that goes into the air or explodes is illegal for average citizens.—
James Bruggers,
The Courier-Journal,
5 July 2017
-
Official fireworks shows took place over the city, and illegal pyrotechnics lit up the sky everywhere in between.—
Lisa Beebe,
Los Angeles Magazine,
5 July 2017
Adjective
-
Mingyang took the center of the Octagon from the beginning, landed hard leg kicks, and opened a nasty gash on Smith’s forehead with a step-in elbow.—
Brian Mazique,
Forbes.com,
27 Apr. 2025
-
That is exactly what the Giants need: nastier players on both sides of the ball.—
Pat Leonard,
New York Daily News,
26 Apr. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Unsportsmanlike.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/unsportsmanlike. Accessed 10 May. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share