archipelago
noun
ar·chi·pel·a·go
ˌär-kə-ˈpe-lə-ˌgō 
ˌär-chə-
plural archipelagoes or archipelagos
1
: an expanse of water with many scattered islands
2
: a group of islands
3
: something resembling an archipelago
especially
: a group or scattering of similar things
an archipelago of small parks within the city
Did you know?
The Greeks called it the Aegean Pelagos and the Italians referred to it as Arcipelago (meaning "chief sea"), but English speakers now call it the Aegean Sea. Numerous islands dot its expanse, and 16th-century English speakers adopted a modified form of its Italian name for any sea with a similar scattering of islands. In time, archipelago came to refer to the groups of islands themselves, and now it is often used figuratively, as in, for example, "an archipelago of high-rise buildings."
Examples of archipelago in a Sentence
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Thousands of local posts are up for grabs in the midterm elections across the archipelago nation of about 120 million people, ranging from district councilors and mayors all the way up to legislators.
—
Kathleen Magramo, CNN Money, 9 May 2025
Romantic Island Apartments The Borromeo Islands, a stunning archipelago floating majestically on the shimmery blue waters of Lake Maggiore, are an exceptional highlight of Italy’s Lakes District.
—Catherine Sabino, Forbes.com, 8 May 2025
The archipelago of about 500 islands is home to the oldest fishing village in Norway and the Traena Festival, a music event held annually where visitors enjoy concerts under the midnight sun or raves in a cave.
—Coral Murphy Marcos, New York Times, 2 May 2025
To investigate the origins of the ancient religion, Singh travels to the Mentawai archipelago in Indonesia, a cave in southwest France, and the northwest Amazon.
—Shannon Carlin, Time, 1 May 2025
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Kathleen Magramo, CNN Money, 9 May 2025
Romantic Island Apartments The Borromeo Islands, a stunning archipelago floating majestically on the shimmery blue waters of Lake Maggiore, are an exceptional highlight of Italy’s Lakes District.
—Catherine Sabino, Forbes.com, 8 May 2025
The archipelago of about 500 islands is home to the oldest fishing village in Norway and the Traena Festival, a music event held annually where visitors enjoy concerts under the midnight sun or raves in a cave.
—Coral Murphy Marcos, New York Times, 2 May 2025
To investigate the origins of the ancient religion, Singh travels to the Mentawai archipelago in Indonesia, a cave in southwest France, and the northwest Amazon.
—Shannon Carlin, Time, 1 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for archipelago
Cite this Entry
“Archipelago.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/archipelago. Accessed 24 May. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
archipelago
noun
ar·chi·pel·a·go
ˌär-kə-ˈpel-ə-ˌgō
ˌär-chə-
plural archipelagoes or archipelagos
: a wide stretch of water with many scattered islands
also
: a group of islands
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