1
often capitalized
: of, relating to, or suitable for use at the north pole or the region near it
arctic waters
arctic animals
arctic clothing
2
a
: bitter cold : frigid
arctic air
b
: cold in temper or mood
an arctic smile
Synonyms
Examples of arctic in a Sentence
Adjective
The group is involved in Arctic exploration.
the arctic air of deep winter
Recent Examples on the Web
Daniel Wu, Washington Post, 9 Apr. 2024
Recent climate reports have shown alarming trends as 2023 was confirmed as the hottest year on record and rising temperatures led to the loss of 1 million square kilometers of arctic ice in the last year.
—Ben Tracy, CBS News, 19 Mar. 2024
Behind the storm is a surge of arctic air that will spread across most of the country by the weekend, unleashing subzero temperatures as far south as Missouri and Kansas by Saturday morning, the weather service said.
—Christopher Cann, USA TODAY, 23 Feb. 2024
And Chicago’s Field Museum has shrouded dozens of display cases in its ancient Americas, northwest coast and arctic exhibits.
—Mary Hudetz, ProPublica, 21 Feb. 2024
The passing of the storm Friday/Saturday will usher in our first true arctic blast of the season.
—Drew Dawson, Journal Sentinel, 26 Feb. 2024
Four college students who were camping in Red River Gorge were rescued by helicopter on Monday after an arctic cold front that struck the region left them stranded in the area.
—Marina Johnson, The Courier-Journal, 23 Feb. 2024
Watch Twin Peaks on Paramount+ A Murder at the End of the World
A Murder at the End of the World boasts a similarly dark and bleak arctic setting as Night Country.
—Keith Langston, Peoplemag, 19 Feb. 2024
Then, around midnight Wednesday, a strong arctic cold front from Canada will push through, bringing a quick drop in temps, even colder windchills, windy conditions and a chance of light snow through Wednesday morning.
—Claire Reid, Journal Sentinel, 27 Feb. 2024
Joseph Calamia, Discover Magazine, 19 Nov. 2019
None of these features have been discovered or reported in the Alaskan or Canadian arctic, according to Susan Natali, the Arctic program director at the Woodwell Climate Research Center, who is using satellite data to try to identify and map craters that haven't been seen with human eyes.
—Katie Hunt, CNN, 4 Sep. 2020
Researchers have found wood from those trees preserved in frozen riverbanks and other places, and have written that forests in the high arctic were probably similar to those in the Pacific Northwest today.
—Ned Rozell, Anchorage Daily News, 1 Jan. 2022
Scientists expressed grave concerns about the increasing frequency of the fires brought about by climate change in the Siberian arctic.
—Heather Chen, CNN, 16 Jan. 2023
How much more time will that buy the arctic grayling?
—Noah Davis, The Christian Science Monitor, 19 Dec. 2022
As climate change brings us closer to an ice-free arctic, this group of polar bears may help scientists understand how the species may persist.
—Tulika Bose, Scientific American, 22 July 2022
This remote part of the Russian arctic used to be home to a meteorological station, but humans have long since abandoned it.
—Joshua Hawkins, BGR, 19 Jan. 2022
The brutal arctic outburst that caused Texas’ power grid to fail and the heat wave in the Pacific Northwest last June account for many of the new records.
—New York Times, 11 Jan. 2022
Adjective
It’s also known as snow blindness or welder’s flash when it’s caused by sunlight reflecting off snow in arctic conditions or the light from a welder’s torch.
—Daniel Wu, Washington Post, 9 Apr. 2024
Recent climate reports have shown alarming trends as 2023 was confirmed as the hottest year on record and rising temperatures led to the loss of 1 million square kilometers of arctic ice in the last year.
—Ben Tracy, CBS News, 19 Mar. 2024
Behind the storm is a surge of arctic air that will spread across most of the country by the weekend, unleashing subzero temperatures as far south as Missouri and Kansas by Saturday morning, the weather service said.
—Christopher Cann, USA TODAY, 23 Feb. 2024
And Chicago’s Field Museum has shrouded dozens of display cases in its ancient Americas, northwest coast and arctic exhibits.
—Mary Hudetz, ProPublica, 21 Feb. 2024
The passing of the storm Friday/Saturday will usher in our first true arctic blast of the season.
—Drew Dawson, Journal Sentinel, 26 Feb. 2024
Four college students who were camping in Red River Gorge were rescued by helicopter on Monday after an arctic cold front that struck the region left them stranded in the area.
—Marina Johnson, The Courier-Journal, 23 Feb. 2024
Watch Twin Peaks on Paramount+ A Murder at the End of the World
A Murder at the End of the World boasts a similarly dark and bleak arctic setting as Night Country.
—Keith Langston, Peoplemag, 19 Feb. 2024
Then, around midnight Wednesday, a strong arctic cold front from Canada will push through, bringing a quick drop in temps, even colder windchills, windy conditions and a chance of light snow through Wednesday morning.
—Claire Reid, Journal Sentinel, 27 Feb. 2024
Noun
This riven Martian arctic was a mystery to scientists for over forty years.
—Joseph Calamia, Discover Magazine, 19 Nov. 2019
None of these features have been discovered or reported in the Alaskan or Canadian arctic, according to Susan Natali, the Arctic program director at the Woodwell Climate Research Center, who is using satellite data to try to identify and map craters that haven't been seen with human eyes.
—Katie Hunt, CNN, 4 Sep. 2020
Researchers have found wood from those trees preserved in frozen riverbanks and other places, and have written that forests in the high arctic were probably similar to those in the Pacific Northwest today.
—Ned Rozell, Anchorage Daily News, 1 Jan. 2022
Scientists expressed grave concerns about the increasing frequency of the fires brought about by climate change in the Siberian arctic.
—Heather Chen, CNN, 16 Jan. 2023
How much more time will that buy the arctic grayling?
—Noah Davis, The Christian Science Monitor, 19 Dec. 2022
As climate change brings us closer to an ice-free arctic, this group of polar bears may help scientists understand how the species may persist.
—Tulika Bose, Scientific American, 22 July 2022
This remote part of the Russian arctic used to be home to a meteorological station, but humans have long since abandoned it.
—Joshua Hawkins, BGR, 19 Jan. 2022
The brutal arctic outburst that caused Texas’ power grid to fail and the heat wave in the Pacific Northwest last June account for many of the new records.
—New York Times, 11 Jan. 2022
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'arctic.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near arctic
Cite this Entry
“Arctic.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/arctic. Accessed 18 Apr. 2024.
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Etymology
Adjective
Middle English artik "arctic," derived from Greek arktikos "arctic," from Arktos "the Bear," name of the most easily recognizable constellation near the north pole of the sky
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