1
as in subtropical
being near the equator
wanted to escape winter and visit some tropical location where freezing to death would not be a possibility
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in metaphoric
expressing one thing in terms normally used for another
an author given to high-flown tropical phrasings and convoluted symbology
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of tropical
Sandy beaches, sparkling waters, a tropical evergreen forest, and balmy temperatures to match.
—
Eleanor Pringle, Fortune, 6 May 2026
This fabric was conceived in England in the early 20th century to protect British soldiers serving in tropical colonies.
—Andrea Onate, Footwear News, 6 May 2026
Elsewhere, guests can explore TAZ-mania, a tropical landscape occupied by the chaotic Tasmanian Devil.
—Colson Thayer, PEOPLE, 6 May 2026
For a tropical spin, lean into pineapple, mango, coconut and lime.
—Lauren Jarvis-Gibson, Kansas City Star, 5 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for tropical
Eleanor Pringle, Fortune, 6 May 2026
This fabric was conceived in England in the early 20th century to protect British soldiers serving in tropical colonies.
—Andrea Onate, Footwear News, 6 May 2026
Elsewhere, guests can explore TAZ-mania, a tropical landscape occupied by the chaotic Tasmanian Devil.
—Colson Thayer, PEOPLE, 6 May 2026
For a tropical spin, lean into pineapple, mango, coconut and lime.
—Lauren Jarvis-Gibson, Kansas City Star, 5 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for tropical
Recent Examples of Synonyms for tropical
Adjective
-
For example, through studying the Denver Pollen Collection, researchers discovered that the North Slope of Alaska had a temperate to subtropical climate about 50 to 56 million years ago that allowed palm trees to grow north of the Arctic Circle.—
Ingrid C. Romero,
The Conversation,
5 May 2026
-
Despite its common name, this evergreen fern is native to Florida as well as other tropical and subtropical areas, where it is often called sword fern.—
Kim Toscano,
Southern Living,
4 May 2026
Adjective
-
The metaphorical mountain is something Robbins also became deeply connected to throughout the career-elevating process of writing Apex.—
Brian Davids,
HollywoodReporter,
30 Apr. 2026
-
Since one of the metaphorical aspects of the script concerns how swiftly conflicts can flare up from small disagreements into major knock-down-drag-out fights, showing the violence and bared-teeth snarling is appropriate, a lighter touch could work, too.—
Christopher Arnott,
Hartford Courant,
28 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
El Nino is a cyclical and natural warming of patches of the equatorial Pacific that then alters the world’s weather patterns.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
8 May 2026
-
The Best Wildlife Cruises Around the World From Arctic ice to equatorial isles, these wildlife cruises bring you face to face with the planet’s most extraordinary creatures.—
Hannah Towey,
Condé Nast Traveler,
22 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
And then to add insult to that heaping helping of figurative injury, the nachos took some collateral damage and were effectively ruined.—
Matt Reigle OutKick,
FOXNews.com,
8 May 2026
-
From the scandal of his early figurative work in the 1960s, through the upside-down paintings that became his signature, to the wooden figures shown at the 1980 Venice Biennale that appeared to salute like broken monuments, his practice was defined by disruption.—
George Nelson,
ARTnews.com,
8 May 2026
Adjective
-
The number distilled the North Beach revue (which closed New Year’s Eve 2019) famous for its oversized figural hats, musical parodies and fairy-tale characters into 11.5 minutes.—
Culture Critic,
San Francisco Chronicle,
13 Mar. 2026
-
The holders come in a set of two, adorned with figural bunnies.—
Sophia Beams,
Better Homes & Gardens,
11 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
During a brief appearance in front of the cameras, the pope gave Rubio the symbolic gift of an olive-wood pen.—
Yuliya Talmazan,
NBC news,
7 May 2026
-
Once the most powerful jobs in television, evening anchors like Tony Dokoupil now occupy a more symbolic perch.—
Alex Weprin,
HollywoodReporter,
6 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Tropical.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/tropical. Accessed 11 May. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
