"nonsports" means not related to or concerned with sports. It is one of many casual words teens pick up from friends, social media, music or sport, and on its own it carries no particular warning. If you hear your teen use it, it is fair to ask what they mean by it in their friend group, since meanings drift quickly. Asking out of curiosity rather than alarm tends to keep the conversation open and useful.
nonsports
(chiefly, US) Not related to or concerned with sports.
Etymology timeline
Born ~1980 · no dated citations yetDefinitions
(chiefly, US) Not related to or concerned with sports.
"nonsports" means not related to or concerned with sports. It is one of many casual words teens pick up from friends, social media, music or sport, and on its own it carries no particular warning. If you hear your teen use it, it is fair to ask what they mean by it in their friend group, since meanings drift quickly. Asking out of curiosity rather than alarm tends to keep the conversation open and useful.
"nonsports" is informal English meaning not related to or concerned with sports. It is mainly used in North American English. A more formal or neutral equivalent would be something like "not related to or concerned with sports" expressed in standard vocabulary. A common mistake is to assume "nonsports" can replace its standard equivalent in every register; keep it for spoken or casual situations and use the formal form in writing. If you are a B2 or C1 learner, it is useful to recognise this word when you hear or read it, but think carefully about whether the situation really calls for it before using it yourself.
“He transcended the world of cycling, and much of the coverage from nonsports media was adulatory.”
Comments
For specific readers
Why is this section here?
Slang is read by different audiences for very different reasons. The For parents view re-explains the term in plain, non-judgemental language so a caregiver can understand what their child means without needing the surrounding subculture. The For English learners view focuses on register (when it's safe to use), formal alternatives, and common mistakes — what a textbook won't teach you.
Used in
Have a better definition?
Add your own interpretation of "nonsports".
🗺️About Regional & Other slang
Regional slang from around the English-speaking world — British, Australian, Irish, Caribbean, Nigerian, Filipino, AAVE, and the hyphenated-English dialects that make the internet sound local.
See all Regional & Other slang on Slangora.
Tags
Other words near "nonsports" (N)
Browse all slang words starting with N.
Related terms
People also read
Semantically related
- nonstore58%
(US) Not of or pertaining to a store (retail outlet).
- nonmath58%
Nonmath is an informal North American adjective meaning nonmathematical — not involving or requiring mathematics, or not oriented toward quantitative thinking. Used in casual educational and professional contexts to describe subjects, people, or approaches that avoid or lack mathematical content. It is the kind of shorthand that arises in informal academic speech: a 'nonmath major' or 'nonmath student' is someone studying humanities or social sciences rather than a STEM discipline.
- non-league57%
(British, soccer) Playing in a division below The Football League, being amateur or semi-professional teams.
- nonmath57%
(North America) Nonmathematical.
- nonveg56%
(chiefly, _, India) Not vegetarian.