oceanic

adjective

oce·​an·​ic ˌō-shē-ˈa-nik 

1

a

: of or relating to the ocean

b

: occurring in or frequenting the ocean and especially the open sea as distinguished from littoral or neritic waters

2

: vast, great

3

Oceanic linguistics : relating to, belonging to, or characterizing a subfamily of the Austronesian family of languages that is spoken in Polynesia and most of the islands of Melanesia and Micronesia

Synonyms

• marine
• maritime
• pelagic

Examples of oceanic in a Sentence

the theory that ancient mariners took advantage of oceanic currents to roam the seas on primitive rafts

during his solo crossing of the Atlantic he managed to avoid the fierce oceanic storms that rage in those tropical latitudes

Recent Examples on the Web

After all, Woolf ’s death had nothing to do with oceanic waves, or with her novel published a decade earlier. —Jennifer Homans, The New Yorker, 15 July 2024

Though the Iapetus Ocean died, due to a process called subduction in which dense, oceanic crust sinks back into the earth’s mantle, some pieces of pegmatite were thrust up and preserved for study for experts and amateurs alike. —Carl R. Gold, Baltimore Sun, 13 July 2024

Then exhale the air out of the mouth, keeping the restriction of the throat and maintaining the oceanic sound—as if fogging up a mirror with the breath. —Finnian Kelly, TIME, 8 July 2024

His writing draws inspiration from his Native Hawaiian heritage and oceanic homeland, often exploring the moral complexities faced by its island communities. —Valerie Complex, Deadline, 8 July 2024

Word History

Etymology

borrowed from Latin Ōceanicus, from Ōceanus "the sea flowing around the land mass of the known world, ocean" + -icus -ic entry 1

First Known Use

1656, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Phrases Containing oceanic

• inter-oceanic
• oceanic whitetip
• oceanic white-tipped shark
• oceanic whitetip shark