aquatic

1 of 2

adjective

aquat·​ic ə-ˈkwä-tik  -ˈkwa- 

1

: growing or living in or frequenting water

aquatic mosquito larvae

2

: taking place in or on water

aquatic sports

aquatically

ə-ˈkwä-ti-k(ə-)lē 

-ˈkwa-

adverb

aquatic

2 of 2

noun

1

: an aquatic animal or plant

2

aquatics ə-ˈkwä-tiks 

-ˈkwa-

plural in form but singular or plural in construction : water sports

Synonyms of aquatic

Adjective

• underwater
• submarine

Examples of aquatic in a Sentence

Adjective

a lifelong fascination with sharks and other fearsome aquatic creatures

Recent Examples on the Web

Adjective

The warm aquatic pulse could add 6 to 12 inches to background sea levels for months and cause flooding if there are storms or high tides, like the swell from distant Hurricane Rachel expected to peak Thursday and Friday. — Blanca Begert, Los Angeles Times, 8 Oct. 2026

Paired as Music for Two Films About Water, the untitled scores accompany aquatic shorts by the artists Tanja Engelberts (We Exhale) and Takashi Makino (Constellation). — Jazz Monroe, Pitchfork, 8 Oct. 2026

Noun

Disagreement on swimming pools The Ward 2 representatives voted against the plan because of the changes to the aquatics portion of the plan. — Taylor O'Connor, Kansas City Star, 30 Sep. 2026

On Tuesday, the school unveiled its new $41 million aquatics center. — Rina Nakano, CBS News, 26 Aug. 2026

Word History

Etymology

Adjective

earlier, "of water," borrowed from Middle French & Latin; Middle French, "living in water," going back to Old French aquatike "having the nature of water," borrowed from Latin aquāticus "of water, growing or living in water," from aqua "water" + -āticus, adjective suffix of appurtenance — more at island entry 1, -age

Noun

derivative of aquatic entry 1

First Known Use

Adjective

1610, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Noun

circa 1600, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for aquatic

• aprotic
• biotic
• chaotic
• cirrhotic
• demotic
• despotic
• dichotic
• erotic
• euphotic
• exotic
• fibrotic
• hieratic

Kids Definition

aquatic

1 of 2 adjective

aquat·​ic ə-ˈkwät-ik  -ˈkwat- 

1

: growing or living in or often found in water

aquatic animals

2

: performed in or on water

aquatic sports

aquatic

2 of 2 noun

: an aquatic animal or plant

Medical Definition

aquatic

adjective

aquat·​ic ə-ˈkwät-ik  -ˈkwat- 

: growing or living in or frequenting water

aquatic mosquito larvae