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 of nomadic

• nomad

Examples of nomadic in a Sentence

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

Recent Examples on the Web

After two decades, the Max Mara Art Prize for Women is becoming nomadic. —Luisa Zargani, Footwear News, 22 Jan. 2026

View gallery - 8 images Commissioned for a customer who wants to enjoy a nomadic retirement, the Tiny Birdy has a compact interior layout that sleeps up to two people and runs fully off-grid with solar power. —New Atlas, 20 Jan. 2026

This inventive, sophisticated work of historical fiction draws on the tools of documentary to obtain a pictorially dazzling account of nomadic life, cast against the vast landscape of the Sahara Desert. —Matthew Carey, Deadline, 20 Jan. 2026

Covering a total distance of 5,000 miles across the Saudi Arabian desert, the Dakar Rally includes everything from high-speed stretches across sand dunes to rocky passes, not to mention the occasional nomadic camp site. —Karl Brauer, Robb Report, 19 Jan. 2026

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