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

Mongolia and its people are often believed to be primarily nomadic. —Stephanie Edwards, Discover Magazine, 29 May 2025

But the human-feeding insects’ numbers began to rise around 13,000 years ago, the study found, which corresponds with the shift from nomadic to sedentary lifestyles about 12,000 years ago. —Sara Hashemi, Smithsonian Magazine, 28 May 2025

Those who did stay the course, sticking it out through two nomadic years at USC, say something different has taken hold within the team in this third season. —Ryan Kartje, Los Angeles Times, 22 May 2025

For millennia their nomadic ancestors came here to fish Arctic char, a silvery-orange cousin of the brook trout. —Alec Luhn, Scientific American, 20 May 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