tropical

adjective

trop·​i·​cal
for sense 1
ˈträ-pi-kəl How to pronounce tropical (audio)
for sense 2
ˈtrō- How to pronounce tropical (audio)
also
ˈträ- How to pronounce tropical (audio)
1
a
: of, relating to, occurring in, or suitable for use in the tropics
tropical forests
a tropical disease
b
: of, being, or characteristic of a region or climate that is frost-free with temperatures high enough to support year-round plant growth given sufficient moisture
tropical Florida
2
tropically adverb

Examples of tropical in a Sentence

wanted to escape winter and visit some tropical location where freezing to death would not be a possibility an author given to high-flown tropical phrasings and convoluted symbology
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Summer-blooming bulbs and tropical bloomers thrive with the warmer soil and frequent rains spring brings. Kim Toscano, Southern Living, 27 Feb. 2025 The frangipani is a flower native to Brazil, Central America, and the Caribbean, so allow this fragrance’s tropical roots to lift you out of whatever remains of your winter blues and carry you into springtime. Marci Robin, Allure, 27 Feb. 2025 Humans in Africa's wet tropical forests 150 thousand years ago. Ross Rosenfeld, Newsweek, 26 Feb. 2025 Just enough remained to identify the vessel: crumpled copper sheathing from the period; iron ballast blocks that were mentioned in the manifest; and, most crucially, timber from a tropical hardwood that grew in Mozambique. Julian Lucas, The New Yorker, 24 Feb. 2025 See All Example Sentences for tropical

Word History

Etymology

(sense 1) Middle English tropikal "pertaining to the three circles of the celestial sphere (the two tropics and the equinoctial circle)," from tropik tropic entry 1 + -al -al entry 1; (sense 2) Latin tropicus "pertaining to figures of speech" (borrowed from Greek tropikós, from trópos "figurative expression, trope" + -ikos -ic entry 1) + -al entry 1

First Known Use

1671, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Time Traveler
The first known use of tropical was in 1671

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Cite this Entry

“Tropical.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/tropical. Accessed 13 Mar. 2025.

Kids Definition

tropical

adjective
trop·​i·​cal ˈträp-i-kəl How to pronounce tropical (audio)
: of, relating to, occurring in, or used in the tropics
tropically adverb

More from Merriam-Webster on tropical

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