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

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

Over the past fifty years, populations of oceanic sharks and rays have declined by over 70 percent. —Melissa Cristina Márquez, Forbes.com, 16 Sep. 2025

Dynamical climate models play a leading role, but forecasters also consider soil moisture, long-term climate trends and oceanic and atmospheric patterns like El Niño and La Niña. —Hayleigh Evans, AZCentral.com, 15 Sep. 2025

Sextants unlocked oceanic exploration. —Kapil Kajal, Interesting Engineering, 11 Sep. 2025

My favorites are the oceanic greens and blues, one of which reminds me of a Rothko. —Paige Williams, New Yorker, 29 Aug. 2025

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

• aldermanic
• inorganic
• magellanic
• messianic
• pozzolanic
• talismanic
• transuranic
• bannock
• laennec
• manic
• panic
• stannic