oceanic

adjective

oce·​an·​ic ˌō-shē-ˈa-nik 

1

a

: of or relating to the ocean

b

: occurring in or frequenting the ocean and especially the open sea as distinguished from littoral or neritic waters

2

: vast, great

3

Oceanic linguistics : relating to, belonging to, or characterizing a subfamily of the Austronesian family of languages that is spoken in Polynesia and most of the islands of Melanesia and Micronesia

Synonyms

• marine
• maritime
• pelagic

Examples of oceanic in a Sentence

the theory that ancient mariners took advantage of oceanic currents to roam the seas on primitive rafts

during his solo crossing of the Atlantic he managed to avoid the fierce oceanic storms that rage in those tropical latitudes

Recent Examples on the Web

For example, scientists know megamouths roam the neritic and oceanic waters of tropical and subtropical latitudes, spanning depths from the surface down to the bathypelagic zone over 3937 ft (1200 m) deep. —Melissa Cristina Marquez, Forbes, 31 Oct. 2024

Point Nemo, the oceanic pole, was by far the most difficult. —Cullen Murphy, The Atlantic, 11 Oct. 2024

Amos Clifford, the author of Your Guide to Forest Bathing, describes it as immersing our senses in the oceanic ambiance of the woodlands. —Kiana Murden, Vogue, 23 Oct. 2024

Paris, on the other hand, is the world capital of African and Oceanic art and dominates Europe in Old Master drawings, Asian art and design… Each city has its unique strengths. —George Nelson, ARTnews.com, 23 Oct. 2024

Word History

Etymology

borrowed from Latin Ōceanicus, from Ōceanus "the sea flowing around the land mass of the known world, ocean" + -icus -ic entry 1

First Known Use

1656, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Phrases Containing oceanic

• inter-oceanic
• oceanic whitetip
• oceanic white-tipped shark
• oceanic whitetip shark