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
But since these pelagic fish spend most of their time at depths of 1,000 feet or more, and are typically only caught by ocean longliners, scientists are still trying to understand their biology and life histories.
—
Dac Collins, Outdoor Life, 18 June 2025
The scientists noticed a drop in their prey, such as small pelagic fishes in the case of seals and smaller benthic sharks in the case of sevengill sharks.
—Rick Sobey, Boston Herald, 27 Apr. 2025
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
The usual hue of the living version is greenish-brown, according to John Ugoretz, pelagic fisheries and ecosystem program manager for the department.
—Summer Lin, Los Angeles Times, 17 Oct. 2024
See All Example Sentences for pelagic
Dac Collins, Outdoor Life, 18 June 2025
The scientists noticed a drop in their prey, such as small pelagic fishes in the case of seals and smaller benthic sharks in the case of sevengill sharks.
—Rick Sobey, Boston Herald, 27 Apr. 2025
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
The usual hue of the living version is greenish-brown, according to John Ugoretz, pelagic fisheries and ecosystem program manager for the department.
—Summer Lin, Los Angeles Times, 17 Oct. 2024
See All Example Sentences for pelagic
Recent Examples of Synonyms for pelagic
Adjective
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America’s busiest cargo handling port is seeking proposals from interested parties to participate in the pre-development of a new marine terminal, Pier 500.—
Glenn Taylor,
Sourcing Journal,
3 Oct. 2025
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As plastic waste clogs rivers, kills marine life and threatens human health, many leaders of countries, communities and forward-looking companies are working on ways to stem the tide of plastic pollution.—
Jeff Young,
MSNBC Newsweek,
3 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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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
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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
Adjective
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During the dives, researchers collected hundreds of deep-sea samples and gathered data on biodiversity, ocean hydrology, sea ice conditions, and water chemistry.—
Bojan Stojkovski,
Interesting Engineering,
5 Oct. 2025
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By sinking algae into deep-sea sediments, Gigablue mimics a process that has regulated Earth’s climate for millennia—only faster, more reliably, and without the massive energy footprint of industrial capture machines.—
Melissa Jun Rowley,
Rolling Stone,
1 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Pelagic.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pelagic. Accessed 7 Oct. 2025.
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