1
as in marine
of or relating to the sea
among pelagic animals the undisputed king is the blue whale, the largest creature currently roaming the face of the earth
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Recent Examples of pelagic
Meanwhile, offshore, the Oregon Islands National Wildlife Refuge pulses with life: think harbor seals, black oystercatchers, and pelagic cormorants.
—
Lewis Nunn, Forbes.com, 8 Aug. 2025
But since these pelagic fish spend most of their time at depths of 1,000 feet or more, and are typically only caught by ocean longliners, scientists are still trying to understand their biology and life histories.
—Dac Collins, Outdoor Life, 18 June 2025
The scientists noticed a drop in their prey, such as small pelagic fishes in the case of seals and smaller benthic sharks in the case of sevengill sharks.
—Rick Sobey, Boston Herald, 27 Apr. 2025
The usual hue of the living version is greenish-brown, according to John Ugoretz, pelagic fisheries and ecosystem program manager for the department.
—Summer Lin, Los Angeles Times, 17 Oct. 2024
See All Example Sentences for pelagic
Lewis Nunn, Forbes.com, 8 Aug. 2025
But since these pelagic fish spend most of their time at depths of 1,000 feet or more, and are typically only caught by ocean longliners, scientists are still trying to understand their biology and life histories.
—Dac Collins, Outdoor Life, 18 June 2025
The scientists noticed a drop in their prey, such as small pelagic fishes in the case of seals and smaller benthic sharks in the case of sevengill sharks.
—Rick Sobey, Boston Herald, 27 Apr. 2025
The usual hue of the living version is greenish-brown, according to John Ugoretz, pelagic fisheries and ecosystem program manager for the department.
—Summer Lin, Los Angeles Times, 17 Oct. 2024
See All Example Sentences for pelagic
Recent Examples of Synonyms for pelagic
Adjective
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The sessions will continue in the Ocean Cay MSC Marine Reserve, a private island sanctuary in the Bahamas, where guests will learn about coral restoration and marine protection, before sailing the turquoise waters with Horn to see the importance of protecting the delicate underwater ecosystems.—
Rachel Cormack,
Robb Report,
31 Oct. 2025
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White and his spouse, Emily Seibert, operate Salty Pelican Boat Tours, offering year-round dolphin-watching and sunset excursions, with each trip an opportunity for Emily to share her expertise of marine life ecosystems.—
Ken Perrotte,
USA Today,
31 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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For Mateus, as for filmmakers in her personal pantheon, conflicts at hand stem inextricably from local and national history and also from oceanic depths of experience, too easily dismissed as folklore, from which individual identity and group identification emerge.—
Richard Brody,
New Yorker,
30 Oct. 2025
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At the time, little was known about the sneaker, including its oceanic inspiration.—
Riley Jones,
Footwear News,
27 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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This is a crucial component that allows the system to draw deep-sea water for the thermal energy conversion process.—
Georgina Jedikovska,
Interesting Engineering,
24 Oct. 2025
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This clay molding process was known to preserve the form of soft animals in oxygen-poor areas, such as the muds at the bottom of lagoons and deep-sea trenches, Sereno says.—
Andrea Tamayo,
Scientific American,
23 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Pelagic.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pelagic. Accessed 4 Nov. 2025.
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