Poor sport, sore loser and sore winner

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Grammarist

Poor sport, sore loser and sore winner are all terms that have to do with sports, games and competition. We will examine the meanings of the terms poor sport, sore loser and sore winner.

A poor sport is someone who does not concede defeat graciously, someone who may not acknowledge the authority or fairness of a contest in which he is not the victor. The label poor sport carries a connotation of childishness or bullying.

A sore loser is also someone who does not concede defeat graciously, the term is a synonym of the expression poor sport. Synonyms are two or more words that have the same or nearly the same meaning. The term sore loser also carries the connotation of childishness or bullying.

A sore winner is someone who does not behave graciously when he is the winner in a sport, game or other competition. A sore winner may brag or gloat about his victory, in an attempt to belittle the loser. Sore winners are generally considered bullies.

Examples

While I certainly agree that his actions were not the most sportsmanlike I disagree with the notion that he was being a poor sport. (The Humboldt Journal)

Matthews accused German rival John Degenkolb of being a poor sport after his angry reaction to being beaten in a sprint for the line at the end of a windy 16th stage of the Tour de France. (The Herald Sun)

Johnny Vegas has hit back at reports surrounding his reaction to losing out at this year’s NTAs, after some critics branded him a sore loser. (The Huffington Post)

Be the bigger person: This is especially true when faced with a sore winner. (The New York Daily News)