antarctic

adjective

ant·​arc·​tic (ˌ)ant-ˈärk-tik  -ˈär-tik 

variants often Antarctic

: of or relating to the South Pole or to the region near it

Examples of antarctic in a Sentence

The group is involved in Antarctic exploration.

Recent Examples on the Web

The collision underscores the growing battle in the frigid waters of the Southern Ocean over the future of Antarctic krill, a shrimplike crustacean central to the diet of whales and critical buffer to global warming that's also in demand for use in health supplements, fishmeal and other products. —CBS News, 1 Apr. 2026

Douglas Fox is a freelance journalist who writes about life, Earth, and Antarctic sciences. —Big Think, 31 Mar. 2026

The range was named for American explorer Lincoln Ellsworth, who discovered it on the first trans-Antarctic air crossing in 1935. —Laura Dannen Redman, Robb Report, 29 Mar. 2026

So scientists need to study what's underneath the remaining Arctic — and Antarctic — ice, and determine how climate change is affecting the plants and animals that have traditionally survived along the seafloor with little to no sunlight. —ABC News, 27 Mar. 2026

Word History

Etymology

Middle English antartik, from Latin antarcticus, from Greek antarktikos, from anti- + arktikos arctic

First Known Use

1594, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing antarctic

• antarctic circle

Rhymes for antarctic

• holarctic
• subarctic
• arctic
• palaearctic
• palearctic
• subantarctic

Kids Definition

antarctic

adjective

ant·​arc·​tic (ˈ)ant-ˈärk-tik  -ˈärt-ik 

often capitalized

: of or relating to the South Pole or to the region near it