nomadic

adjective

no·​mad·​ic nō-ˈma-dik 

1

: of, relating to, or characteristic of nomads

a nomadic tribe

nomadic herders

2

: roaming about from place to place aimlessly, frequently, or without a fixed pattern of movement

a nomadic hobo

Synonyms

• ambulant
• ambulatory
• errant
• fugitive
• gallivanting
• galavanting
• itinerant
• nomad
• perambulatory
• peregrine
• peripatetic
• ranging
• roaming
• roving
• vagabond
• vagrant
• wandering
• wayfaring

Examples of nomadic in a Sentence

raised in a nomadic family, she attended half a dozen different high schools

Recent Examples on the Web

One hypothesis as to how the fossils ended up there is that seasonal nomadic livestock herders traded meat and goods such as fossils with local inhabitants, in exchange for use of their land. —Lauren Liebhaber, Miami Herald, 24 June 2025

Seed, who followed her parents’ career paths as a photographer, also discovered a trove of her mother’s own photographs, revealing a distinctive, clear-eyed aesthetic and a nomadic itch. —Michael Phillips, Chicago Tribune, 19 June 2025

For centuries, this tick was an occasional nuisance to nomadic shepherds of the Middle East. —Sean Lawrence, The Conversation, 18 June 2025

Part of the Beyond Green collection, the property was founded on a vision of preserving the land, wildlife, and nomadic culture and traditions of Mongolia’s people. —Chloe Berge, Outside Online, 17 June 2025

Word History

Etymology

borrowed from Greek nomadikós "of a shepherd or herdsman, pastoral," from nomad-, nomás "wanderer, shepherd, nomad" + -ikos -ic entry 1

First Known Use

circa 1818, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for nomadic

• dyadic
• faradic
• monadic
• sporadic
• triadic
• haddock
• paddock