Definition of tropicalnext
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

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2
as in metaphoric
expressing one thing in terms normally used for another an author given to high-flown tropical phrasings and convoluted symbology

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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 The cycle swings between warmer and cooler seawater in a region along the equator in the tropical Pacific. Doyle Rice, USA Today, 9 Apr. 2026 Ocean temperatures are warmer than normal in the western tropical Atlantic, the part of the ocean closest to the Caribbean. Mary Gilbert, CNN Money, 9 Apr. 2026 Currently, the western tropical Atlantic is warmer than normal, which could fuel more storms, but the eastern tropical and subtropical Atlantic are slightly cooler than normal. Bill Kearney, Sun Sentinel, 9 Apr. 2026 Thursday, April 9, Ground Beef and Bean Chili with chese and onion, whole grain cornbread, tropical fruit, milk. Ramona Sentinel, San Diego Union-Tribune, 8 Apr. 2026 See All Example Sentences for tropical
Recent Examples of Synonyms for tropical
Adjective
  • Currently, the western tropical Atlantic is warmer than normal, which could fuel more storms, but the eastern tropical and subtropical Atlantic are slightly cooler than normal.
    Bill Kearney, Sun Sentinel, 9 Apr. 2026
  • As such, the hotel aims to bring the outside in with plenty of natural light and subtropical greenery.
    Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 7 Apr. 2026
Adjective
  • Passover is not about a historical event but about a metaphoric explication of an ideal.
    Adam Gopnik, New Yorker, 13 Apr. 2026
  • To his wife, Szilvi, the evening’s results had reaffirmed a truth less geographic than metaphoric.
    Isaac Stanley-Becker, The Atlantic, 12 Apr. 2026
Adjective
  • The term refers to warmer-than-average waters along the equatorial Pacific that can influence weather across the globe, raising the odds of searing drought in some regions and torrential rain in others.
    Alex Wigglesworth, Los Angeles Times, 9 Apr. 2026
  • With the high water temperatures in the equatorial Pacific at the moment, meteorologists predict a rapid transition to El Niño in the next few months, strengthening into the peak of the Atlantic hurricane season from August-October.
    Bill Kearney, Sun Sentinel, 9 Apr. 2026
Adjective
  • Charleston, alongside Felix, writes in a Black diasporic tradition that uses the abstract and figurative to name, address, and illuminate the materiality of Black life in the wake of chattel slavery.
    Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 7 Apr. 2026
  • The McCarthyist Red Scare recast the socially conscious and figurative art of the 1930s in the light of Soviet socialist realism.
    John P. Murphy, ARTnews.com, 5 Apr. 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
  • As was the case with the white-and-green dress for her Pakistan tour, Elizabeth, in her fashion choices, sought not only to avoid giving offense but to offer symbolic ingratiation, and among the most fascinating garments on display are those representing diplomatic dressing.
    Rebecca Mead, New Yorker, 17 Apr. 2026
  • For many young Indian women, the change also carries symbolic weight.
    ABC News, ABC News, 16 Apr. 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Tropical.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/tropical. Accessed 17 Apr. 2026.

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