unsportsmanlike

C2 Topic:Ethics & Social Judgment
US /ʌnˈspɔːrts.mən.laɪk/ UK /ʌnˈspɔːts.mən.laɪk/
adj Freq #68585

Meanings

  1. 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

Synonyms
1 adj · not showing fairness or... unsportingunfairfoul
Opposites
sportsmanlikesportingfair
Word family
Derived forms unsportsmanlinessunsportsmanly
Related forms sportsmanshipsportsmanlikefair play

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.

Topics

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