subarctic

adjective

sub·​arc·​tic ˌsəb-ˈärk-tik How to pronounce subarctic (audio)
-ˈär-tik
: of, relating to, characteristic of, or being regions immediately outside of the arctic circle or regions similar to these in climate or conditions of life
subarctic noun

Examples of subarctic in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web Around Rankin Inlet, a small subarctic town on the west coast of Hudson Bay, stories passed down for generations speak of Inuit advice and help offered, and refused, by explorers and whalers marooned on Marble Island, about 30 miles off the coast. Norimitsu Onishi Nasuna Stuart-Ulin, New York Times, 4 June 2023 In Alberta's subarctic boreal forests, thick with spruce and aspen, those fires are often massive. Amy Brady, Scientific American, 1 June 2023 But that lack of activity in a subarctic winter made porcupines more intriguing to her. Ned Rozell | Alaska Science, Anchorage Daily News, 26 Mar. 2023 My parents, bewildered by Calgary’s subarctic winters and the labyrinthine task of finding jobs there, fought constantly. Raksha Vasudevan, New York Times, 6 June 2023 Utah is one of only nine states that allow hunting of tundra swans, which breed in the shallow lakes and wetlands of the subarctic and migrate south to their wintering grounds on the Gulf of Mexico. Andrew McKean, Outdoor Life, 10 May 2023 These birds are a subarctic species that spend most of their life at sea. Los Angeles Times, 24 Jan. 2022 And that’s why this winter — one of the warmest on record for some parts of Canada — wasn’t exactly the best for a contest synonymous with subarctic temperatures. María Luisa Paúl, Washington Post, 24 Mar. 2023 The best scientific payoffs require venturing to the harshest environments, where blistering volcanoes or subarctic icescapes could instantly transform multimillion-dollar machines into scrap metal. Discover Magazine, 15 Aug. 2011 See More

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'subarctic.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

International Scientific Vocabulary

First Known Use

1652, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of subarctic was in 1652

Dictionary Entries Near subarctic

Cite this Entry

“Subarctic.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/subarctic. Accessed 1 Oct. 2023.

Kids Definition

subarctic

adjective
sub·​arc·​tic ˌsəb-ˈärk-tik How to pronounce subarctic (audio)
ˈsəb-ˈärt-ik
: of, relating to, or being regions immediately outside of the arctic circle or regions similar to these in climate or conditions of life
subarctic waters
subarctic plants
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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