sporty adj.
1. (US) attractive, good-looking.
 | Dly Examiner (San Francisco) 23 May 2/6: Supervisor Valleau looked as ‘sporty’ with a light necktie, a stovepipe hat and a white boutonniere as the most prominent fistic manager in town. | |
| Sun. Leader (Wilkes-Barre, PA) 9 Mar. n.p.: The wearing of finger rings, conspicuous watch chain, scarf pin, etc. to impart a ‘sporty’ impression. | |
![[US]](/static/img/flags/us.png "United States") | Jest Of Fate (1903) 107: He looked with new feeling at the swaggering, sporty young negroes. | |
| ‘Terms of Approbation And Eulogy’ in DN IV:i 22: sporty. Attractive, stylish. [...] ‘I think my shoes are really sporty’. | |
| N.Y. Tribune 1 Oct. 2/3: Note the sporty roadster, complete with disk wheel. | |
| Bound for Glory (1969) 320: Limousines, sporty jobs, the big V-16’s. | |
| (con. 1930s) Lawd Today 34: Jeeesus, it takes nerve to be a gangster! But they have plenty of fun [...] Dress swell in sporty clothes. | |
| Gentleman of Leisure 45: I just went sporty. I had on my white mink jacket. | |
| Sl. U. | |
| (con. 1986) Sweet Forever 55: Those are some sporty shitkickers you got on, man. | |
| Dly Herald (Chicago) 7 Oct. 129/2: [advert] BMW 1998 [...] super clean, super sporty, paint the town red. | |
| Port Huron (MI) 18 Sept. G1/3: [advert] 2013 Dodge Dart Leather, Sporty Car [...] Great Sporty Fun. |
2. sexy, provocative, ‘fast’.
| Chicago Trib. 16 Apr. 17/5: A sporty looking broker [...] said to a man next the two New York swells [etc]. | |
| L.A. Times 15 Sept. 2/2: He is dark complected, rather debonaire and has the reputation of being very ‘sporty’ in his habits. | |
| flier for the Bella Union Theater (San Francisco) in Barbary Coast (1933) 130: The Show is Not of the Kindergarten Class, But Just Your Size, if You are Inclined to be Frisky and Sporty. | |
![[Aus]](/static/img/flags/aus.png "Australia") | W.A. Sun. Times (Perth) 9 Jan. 3/4: It was rather a ‘sporty’ gathering the ‘boys’ had been bragging about [...] their salad days and frappé nights. | |
![[UK]](/static/img/flags/uk.png "United Kingdom") | Mop Fair 33: In the top drawer of my dressing-table you will find about a bushel and a half of somewhat sporty photographs. | |
| Types from City Streets 134: There are some girls who tho not ‘sporty’ enough to be discharged or transferred, are just ‘sporty’ enough never to have their salaries raised; for girls of this kind do not generally pay close attention to business. | |
| Babbitt (1974) 276: She knew he was associating with what Floral Heights called ‘a sporty crowd’. | |
| Gilt Kid 114: When I first knew you you were a real sporty kid, as game as they made them. | |
| in Limerick (1953) 230: A virile young G.I. named Shorty / Was lively, and known to be ‘sporty’. | |
| Hoodlums (2021) 117: Her rooms were in one of the sportiest hotels overlooking the Lake. | |
| ‘Dead Men Don’t Move’ in Smashing Detective Stories Jan. 🌐 I think both Mr. Rumley and Mr. Racine were too sporty for their own good. |
3. (US) accomplished.
| (con. 1950s) Unit Pride (1981) 57: ‘Christ...’ I whispered [...] ‘I ain’t too sporty when it comes to prayin’, not like I should be. But I’d sure appreciate it if you’d get me through the night.’. |