sportsman
Word family
Synonym discussion
Sense: noun/1
All four words refer to people involved in sport, but they differ in scope and emphasis. ‘Athlete’ is the broadest term, covering any person trained in physical exercise or competitive sport, regardless of gender. ‘Player’ is narrower: it implies a specific sport with teams or opponents, such as a tennis player or chess player. ‘Competitor’ focuses on the act of taking part in a contest rather than the skill or enjoyment of the activity. ‘Sportsperson’ is the modern gender-neutral equivalent of ‘sportsman’, preferred in official or inclusive writing. For example, you would call Usain Bolt an ‘athlete’, call him a ‘runner’ (a type of player), and call him a ‘competitor’ when discussing his Olympic rivals — but ‘sportsman’ feels dated for his context and ‘sportsperson’ would be more appropriate.
Common collocations
Nouns
- fellow sportsman
- amateur sportsman
- professional sportsman
- all-round sportsman
Prepositions
- sportsman from [country]
- sportsman of [era]
Etymology
Formed by combining ‘sport’ with ‘man’. The word ‘sport’ comes from Old French ‘desport’, meaning ‘leisure’ or ‘entertainment’, and entered English in the 14th century. ‘Sportsman’ first appeared in the late 1500s, originally referring to a man who hunted or fished for pleasure. By the 1800s, as organised athletic competitions grew more popular, the meaning expanded to include anyone who played competitive games. The sense of fair play (sense 2) developed alongside the rise of modern sportsmanship ideals in 19th-century Britain.