gymnastic

1 of 2

adjective

gym·​nas·​tic jim-ˈna-stik How to pronounce gymnastic (audio)
: of or relating to gymnastics : athletic
gymnastically adverb

gymnastic

2 of 2

noun

1
gymnastics jim-ˈna-stiks How to pronounce gymnastic (audio) plural in form but singular in construction
a
: physical exercises designed to develop strength and coordination
b
: a competitive sport in which individuals perform optional and prescribed acrobatic feats mostly on special apparatus in order to demonstrate strength, balance, and body control
2
: an exercise in intellectual or artistic dexterity
my earlier philosophic study had been an intellectual gymnasticJohn Dewey
mental gymnastics
3
: a physical feat or contortion
the gymnastics necessary for the killer to have swung from the fire escapeE. D. Radin

Examples of gymnastic in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Adjective
His gymnastic studio’s website domain went offline. Ana Claudia Chacin, Miami Herald, 30 Jan. 2024 With this newest addition, Biles now has five gymnastic skills named after her. Rayna Reid Rayford, Essence, 2 Oct. 2023 In the span of just over a decade, Key Biscayne police received a series of complaints about a gymnastic coach’s allegedly abusive behavior with young girls, police reports and interviews with the Herald reveal. Clara-Sophia Daly, Miami Herald, 26 Jan. 2024 The weapons complex is spread through multiple bureaucracies; each one is responsible only for its own discrete tasks and relies on language that can be gymnastic. Abe Streep, Scientific American, 10 Nov. 2023 The brand will be the first to do NIL deals with athletes through the fund and eight LSU gymnastic athletes will become Accelerator ambassadors, the brand said in a statement to PEOPLE. Natasha Dye, Peoplemag, 6 Nov. 2023 No coaches were named specifically in Eaker’s post, but the University of Utah’s gymnastic program head coach, Tom Farden, has previously faced allegations of abuse but retained his job after an independent investigation. Chris Barilla, Peoplemag, 23 Oct. 2023 In the news business, there’s some gymnastic scoring. Mikey O'Connell, The Hollywood Reporter, 16 Oct. 2023 That’s not a review of, say her gymnastic skills, as a sports reporter might do if Welker were an athlete. Armond White, National Review, 13 Oct. 2023
Noun
Sharon's children have been involved in sports, gymnastics and dance. Abigail Celaya, The Arizona Republic, 10 Mar. 2024 The first, staged in October 1943, saw POWs use a homemade, hollow gymnastics vaulting horse to shuttle prisoners and digging equipment to a tunnel site, with the horse used to cover the burrowing operation underneath. Jack Bantock, CNN, 9 Mar. 2024 The Dolphins would need to do incredible cap gymnastics to afford that type of contract, especially with all their needs elsewhere. Barry Jackson, Miami Herald, 6 Mar. 2024 Strict policies and astronomical deposits Those trendy styles seem to come with a cost, both in higher prices and the mental gymnastics clients often have to do to navigate some of these Instagram stylists’ extensive policies on their booking sites. Annie Blay, Allure, 6 Mar. 2024 That makes figuring out the true cost to you of something priced at, say, 17,500 Icelandic krona, requires some serious mental gymnastics. David Nikel, Forbes, 1 Mar. 2024 The project was led by the Indianapolis Turnverein, a group of gymnastics enthusiasts looking to promote physical and mental wellness in the community. The Indianapolis Star, 29 Feb. 2024 This violence played out in front of children as young as third-graders after a Glastonbury, Connecticut, gymnastics event Sunday. Chris Eberhart, Fox News, 27 Feb. 2024 Three-time Olympic gold medalist Gabby Douglas, who was expected to make her return to competitive gymnastics this weekend, withdrew from the Winter Cup after testing positive for Covid. Elizabeth Robinson, NBC News, 23 Feb. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'gymnastic.' 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

Adjective

1574, in the meaning defined above

Noun

1652, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Time Traveler
The first known use of gymnastic was in 1574

Dictionary Entries Near gymnastic

Cite this Entry

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

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