1
as in marine
of or relating to the sea
among pelagic animals the undisputed king is the blue whale, the largest creature currently roaming the face of the earth
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Recent Examples of pelagic
Some 134,000 tons of frozen pelagic fish — such as sardines, anchovies, mackerel, sprats and herring — are thawed and tossed into European tuna cages every year.
—
Julia Amberger, Nanni Fontana, Marzio Mian, & Nicola Scevola (tr. Elettra Pauletto), The Dial, 3 Apr. 2025
Tropic Fish is known for being a pelagic fishery with a remarkably sustainable footprint.
—Alissa Fitzgerald, Forbes, 21 Mar. 2025
Ongoing projects involve monitoring migrating humpback whales, testing water acidification levels, and tagging pelagic fish.
—Kathryn Romeyn, AFAR Media, 26 Feb. 2025
However, while pelagic sharks thrived, some species faced physiological limits in extremely warm waters.
—Melissa Cristina Marquez, Forbes, 1 Nov. 2024
See All Example Sentences for pelagic
Julia Amberger, Nanni Fontana, Marzio Mian, & Nicola Scevola (tr. Elettra Pauletto), The Dial, 3 Apr. 2025
Tropic Fish is known for being a pelagic fishery with a remarkably sustainable footprint.
—Alissa Fitzgerald, Forbes, 21 Mar. 2025
Ongoing projects involve monitoring migrating humpback whales, testing water acidification levels, and tagging pelagic fish.
—Kathryn Romeyn, AFAR Media, 26 Feb. 2025
However, while pelagic sharks thrived, some species faced physiological limits in extremely warm waters.
—Melissa Cristina Marquez, Forbes, 1 Nov. 2024
See All Example Sentences for pelagic
Recent Examples of Synonyms for pelagic
Adjective
-
Not only that but the IUCN estimates that 33% of sharks, rays, and marine mammals are now threatened with extinction, largely due to bycatch and overfishing.—
Felicia Jackson,
Forbes.com,
12 June 2025
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Information on how red tide affects sawfish and other marine life will be shared, along with details on the MISS organization (Minorities in Shark Sciences) which is helping further shark research.—
Orlando Sentinel Staff,
The Orlando Sentinel,
12 June 2025
Adjective
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These moves aim to protect coastlines, secure maritime trade routes, assert oceanic claims, and bolster global influence.—
Sturla Henriksen,
Time,
5 June 2025
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To wit: the scene where Roy Scheider and Richard Dreyfuss perform a fish autopsy on the tiger shark (the movie's red herring, to use more oceanic metaphors), and yank out its guts.—
Jordan Hoffman,
EW.com,
4 June 2025
Adjective
-
The hope is that after five days of talks and speeches, nations will agree to international controls on fishing, deep-sea mining, wildlife conservation, and other issues, in order to stanch the rapid degradation of oceans, crucial to reining in global warming.—
Vivienne Walt,
Time,
10 June 2025
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Even more astonishing, the largest migration on Earth occurs daily as deep-sea creatures rise to the surface under cover of night to make their way to other areas.—
Dianne Plummer,
Forbes.com,
9 June 2025
Cite this Entry
“Pelagic.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pelagic. Accessed 18 Jun. 2025.
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