oceanic

adjective

oce·​an·​ic ˌō-shē-ˈa-nik How to pronounce oceanic (audio)
Synonyms of oceanicnext
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

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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Major Arctic wildland fires delay the onset of snow cover by five days, offshore wind farms in the northern Yellow Sea stabilize ecosystems, and microplastics inhibit oceanic carbon uptake. Rafil Kroll-Zaidi, Harpers Magazine, 24 Feb. 2026 Pisces is a water sign, represented by a fish, so it's often associated with shades of blue, but there's a whole world of oceanic shades to play with. Kara Jillian Brown, InStyle, 19 Feb. 2026 Again and again, Tennyson fills his beautifully wrought poems with enormous, unfathomable depths—sometimes cosmic, sometimes temporal, sometimes psychological, often oceanic. Kathryn Schulz, New Yorker, 9 Feb. 2026 The most sensitive sharks to the device were in the order Carcharhiniformes, which includes oceanic white-tip sharks and blue sharks. Bill Kearney, Sun Sentinel, 6 Feb. 2026 See All Example Sentences for oceanic

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

Time Traveler
The first known use of oceanic was in 1656

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Oceanic.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/oceanic. Accessed 27 Feb. 2026.

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