tropical

adjective trop·i·cal \ for sense 1 ˈträ-pi-kəl , for sense 2 ˈtrō- also ˈträ- \

|Updated on: 8 Jul 2018

Definition of tropical

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

[Latin tropicus, from Greek tropikos, from tropos trope]

: figurative 2

—

tropically

play \ˈträ-pi-k(ə-)lē, ˈtrō-\ adverb

See tropical defined for English-language learners

See tropical defined for kids

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 of tropical from the Web

Unlike most leopards, which live in tropical or subtropical regions, Amur leopards live in temperate forests.

— bradley j. fikes, sandiegouniontribune.com, "For the Fourth, bring out the (San Diego Zoo) babies!," 3 July 2018
These Western, or tropical, zodiac signs were named after constellations and matched with dates based on the apparent relationship between their placement in the sky and the sun.

— olivia b. waxman, Time, "Where Do Zodiac Signs Come From? Here's the True History Behind Your Horoscope," 21 June 2018
The bourbon has a tropical, almost-coconutty sweetness.

— providence cicero, The Seattle Times, "Backed by his boss, John Howie, sommelier/master distiller Erik Liedholm pours his heart and talent into award-winning liquors," 20 June 2018
Recently the 2018 Atlantic hurricane season, forecasted to be normal to above normal, changed to be close to normal because of cooling sea-surface temperatures in the tropical Atlantic Ocean.

— hartford courant, courant.com, "Fair Skies And Mild Temperatures Sunday," 9 June 2018
The rain felt tropical, warm, not thunderstorm chilly.

— kevin spear, OrlandoSentinel.com, "Wekiva and Rock Springs Run cure stress with gorgeous gators and hypnotic rain," 1 June 2018
The most important and the trickiest climate condition to keep an eye on is El Niño, a recurring weather pattern that brings warm waters to the tropical Pacific Ocean.

— alessandra potenza, The Verge, "Why we can’t predict how destructive a hurricane season will be," 1 June 2018
Forecasters say water temperatures in the eastern and central tropical Atlantic Ocean remain cooler than normal at present, a deterrent to storms.

— jennifer larino, NOLA.com, "Experts now expect an 'approximately average' 2018 Atlantic hurricane season," 31 May 2018
Warming in the tropical oceans changes atmospheric circulation patterns across the Pacific Ocean, Winski said.

— ned rozell, Anchorage Daily News, "Snow and ice samples from Mount Hunter show a record of a colder past," 26 May 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'tropical.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.