adj
Freq #68585
Meanings
-
1
adj
not showing fairness or respect toward an opponent, especially in sport or competition
The referee penalized the player for an unsportsmanlike taunt after the goal.
Thesaurus
Word family
Derived forms
unsportsmanlinessunsportsmanly
Etymology
Formed from the negative prefix un- + sportsmanlike. Sportsmanlike combines sportsman with -like and has meant "consistent with the ideals of good sportsmanship" since the eighteenth century; the negative form reverses that judgment.