tropical

adjective

trop·​i·​cal

for sense 1

ˈträ-pi-kəl 

for sense 2

ˈtrō- 

also

ˈträ- 

1

a

: of, relating to, occurring in, or suitable for use in the tropics

tropical forests

a tropical disease

b

: of, being, or characteristic of a region or climate that is frost-free with temperatures high enough to support year-round plant growth given sufficient moisture

tropical Florida

2

: figurative sense 2

tropically

ˈträ-pi-k(ə-)lē 

ˈtrō-

adverb

Synonyms of tropical

• subtropical
• equatorial

Examples of tropical in a Sentence

wanted to escape winter and visit some tropical location where freezing to death would not be a possibility

an author given to high-flown tropical phrasings and convoluted symbology

Recent Examples on the Web

And astonishingly even 90s are not out of the question for a majority of the Bay Area if enough tropical moisture is present. — Sean MacAday, Sacbee.com, 8 Sep. 2026

Marie has been reduced to a low-pressure system that is still spinning offshore and sending a deep tropical air mass to the Southern California region, said climate scientist Daniel Swain. — Karen Garcia, Los Angeles Times, 8 Sep. 2026

The virus is most prevalent in tropical and subtropical regions, including Southeast Asia, the Western Pacific islands, Latin America and Africa. — Teresa Mull, FOXNews.com, 7 Sep. 2026

Seaside Escape To kick off 2022, the couple once again sought out somewhere warm and sandy, continuing their tradition of ringing in the New Year someplace tropical. — Katie Mather, PEOPLE, 7 Sep. 2026

Word History

Etymology

(sense 1) Middle English tropikal "pertaining to the three circles of the celestial sphere (the two tropics and the equinoctial circle)," from tropik tropic entry 1 + -al -al entry 1; (sense 2) Latin tropicus "pertaining to figures of speech" (borrowed from Greek tropikós, from trópos "figurative expression, trope" + -ikos -ic entry 1) + -al entry 1

First Known Use

1671, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Phrases Containing tropical

• tropical aquarium
• tropical cyclone
• tropical fish
• tropical oil
• tropical rainforest
• tropical sprue
• tropical storm

Rhymes for tropical

• topical
• intertropical
• neotropical
• subtropical

Kids Definition

tropical

adjective

trop·​i·​cal ˈträp-i-kəl 

: of, relating to, occurring in, or used in the tropics

tropically

-k(ə-)lē 

adverb