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 of oceanic

• marine
• maritime

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

The evidence for this clash of oceanic titans comes from sperm whale skin and stomach contents. — Laura Baisas, Popular Science, 13 Aug. 2026

With the oceanic fragrance, perfumer David Molts sought to bottle the vibe of his childhood summers in New England. — Jenny Berg, Vogue, 12 Aug. 2026

The smell is rich, oceanic, and bursting with notes of lime and cilantro. — Megan Spurrell, Condé Nast Traveler, 7 Aug. 2026

Such a detector would be far from continental rocks, which are rich in radioactive elements; oceanic crust is also thinner and more uniform. — James Dinneen, Quanta Magazine, 7 Aug. 2026

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

Rhymes for oceanic

• botanic
• brahmanic
• britannic
• galvanic
• germanic
• hispanic
• koranic
• mechanic
• organic
• puranic
• quranic
• romanic