gymnastics
gymnastics Lexical Profile
gymnastics Game Scores & Validity
• noun
A competitive sport and physical discipline involving exercises and routines performed on floor mats or specialized apparatus (such as balance beams, uneven bars, rings, and vaults) that require strength, flexibility, agility, balance, and coordination.
"She began training in artistic gymnastics at the age of six and eventually competed at the national championships."
Complex, agile, or convoluted feats of mental, verbal, or intellectual skill and maneuvering.
"The spokesperson performed impressive verbal gymnastics to avoid answering the journalist's direct question."
Word Nuance & Usage
When referring to the competitive sport or academic discipline, "gymnastics" takes a singular verb (e.g., "gymnastics is a demanding sport"), whereas when referring to physical exercises or figurative mental maneuvers, it takes a plural verb (e.g., "their verbal gymnastics were exhausting").
• Rhymes for gymnastics
• Nearby Words
Word Origin & Etymology
Borrowed from Latin 'gymnasticus', from Ancient Greek 'gymnastikos' (fond of or skilled in bodily exercise), ultimately derived from 'gymnos' meaning "naked," because ancient Greek athletes trained and competed without clothing.