tropical

adjective

trop·​i·​cal

for sense 1

ˈträ-pi-kəl 

for sense 2

ˈtrō- 

also

ˈträ- 

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

: figurative sense 2

tropically

ˈträ-pi-k(ə-)lē 

ˈtrō-

adverb

Synonyms

• subtropical
• equatorial
• subtropic

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

There’s already a Mantis resort perched on Hawar, one of the Maldives-like tropical islands that are part of the country’s archipelago, as well as a splashy, all-villa Raffles property in the quieter southern countryside. —Mark Ellwood, Robb Report, 20 Sep. 2025

The storm also highlights the island's vulnerability to fast-changing tropical systems during the peak of hurricane season, when preparedness and close monitoring are critical. —Martha McHardy, MSNBC Newsweek, 20 Sep. 2025

Deeper down the road the slap of the drooping tropical tree branches against the windshield are like punishing whacks to the face for trying to force a metaphor. —Matt Negrin, Rolling Stone, 20 Sep. 2025

The hurricane center is also monitoring two systems in the Eastern Pacific with disparate chances of developing into tropical depressions over the next few days. —Mike Snider, USA Today, 20 Sep. 2025

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

Phrases Containing tropical

• tropical aquarium
• tropical cyclone
• tropical fish
• tropical oil
• tropical rainforest
• tropical sprue
• tropical storm

Rhymes for tropical

• topical
• intertropical
• microscopical
• neotropical
• subtropical

Kids Definition

tropical

adjective

trop·​i·​cal ˈträp-i-kəl 

: of, relating to, occurring in, or used in the tropics

tropically

-k(ə-)lē 

adverb